Fighting Gravity
by Flutterby Ashes
Summary: Life has been peaceful in the years since Galaxia's defeat, until Rei and Mamoru have matching visions of a certain doom that is fast approaching. Unable to defeat their new enemy alone, Mamoru finds help...by reviving the Shittenou. Senshi/Shittenou.
1. Awakened

AN – Well, hello there! I've been on a Senshi/Shittenou kick recently so I decided to start working on this. Eventually, this will be a continuation of _Esprit d'Incendie_, so it's going to be set in that same universe. I'll probably be working on both of these simultaneously so updates probably won't be too speedy. Sorry about it!

Warnings: Bad language, some angst. Nothing really bad in here this time.

.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Awakened_

A Sailormoon fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.0.o.0.o.0.

The fire swirled around her, practically consuming her in its fury, but she didn't flinch. Not once. Dark blue eyes watched her intently, wondering if she would finally see what his dreams had shown to him. If she saw it too they could confirm their suspicious.

Chaos was returning. He could feel it.

Mamoru shifted, stepping back slightly as the fire licked closer to him. Idly, he wondered why she rarely burned when the flames stayed just scant centimeters from her face. This had been going on for nearly an hour, and he knew the dangers that came with her being entranced for the fire for that long. The last time, she'd been unconscious for nearly three days before reviving, her exhausted body barely capable of telling them what she had seen.

They didn't have that kind of time.

As if hearing his thoughts, the fire abruptly shot upwards in a thick column, flames snarling at the weathered boards of the ceiling before falling back in its grate, peacefully flickering as though it were nothing more than a mere campfire. She drew in her breath in a sharp gasp, hand reaching up to clutch her chest as she nearly collapsed forward. He squashed down the guilt he was feeling at asking her to do this as he knelt by her side.

"Something is coming," she whispered, her voice weak.

"Did you see the same things that I did?" he asked, pulling her sweating form close to his chest to stabilize her. She nodded, her eyes slipping closed as she rested against him. She was shaking.

"It's coming soon," she murmured, her words slurring slightly. "There's darkness, a lot of it. We were overpowered on our own. Things will start happening in a few days, maybe a week." He tried to ignore how her voice continued to get softer.

"Damnit," he groaned. "We haven't had to fight in four years; why is this happening now?"

"I don't know," she confessed, lifting her head and attempting to pull away from him. He held her strong. "I need some water," she said, pulling away from him again.

He relented. She was weakened, definitely, but if she were going to lose consciousness during this ordeal she would have done so by now. Standing, her grabbed her hand and pulled her up, perhaps a bit too quickly. She stumbled, gripping onto his arm for strength. He knew that he was one of the few people that she ever let see her like this. Weak. He knew it was because of their past relationship, and sometimes he found himself yearning for her company in that way again. At that moment, he almost regretted the ring around his finger.

"Come on," he said, trying to steer his thoughts back on track. He loved his wife. He loved Usagi with most of his heart. He just had to accept that there would always be a part of him that still loved Rei. He wondered if she still loved him as well.

They reached the kitchen, and he directed her towards a chair. Almost immediately her head fell to the accompanying table, resting on her folded arms as she exhaled a shaky breath. He retrieved the glass and set it down in front of her, noticing the shaking in her limbs as she lifted her head and carried the glass to her lips for a drink.

She finished the drink quickly, eventually leaning back in the chair. He resisted the urge to stand behind her and run his hands over her tense, shaking shoulders in a comforting massage. He'd set boundaries for himself; it wouldn't do either of them any good to go breaking them now. She was resting with her eyes closed, the dwindling twilight practically shimmering off her features.

"Yuichirou will be back soon," he said, wondering if he was losing his mind. "He'll be worried."

"I know," she murmured, probably trying to come up with an excuse to provide him with. "Usagi will wonder where you are."

"I called her to say I was called into work," he confessed, feeling almost no guilt about his lie. "I just couldn't stand to have that dream again without knowing what was happening."

She nodded, opening her eyes to look at him sternly. She looked exhausted, and almost haunted. An uncomfortable feeling settled itself in his stomach. She was hiding something.

"What else did you see?" he asked, noting with some satisfaction how she flinched as soon as he asked.

"It's not important." A lie. She'd forgotten that he could see through her.

"It is."

She sighed, a weary expression covering her features, making her look much older than her twenty-one years. She was burdened, he knew. She had been forced to overcome many things in her short life, and he'd always wondered how she managed to maintain so much grace.

"It's not something I can talk about," she said quietly, pulling her gaze away from them. "It changes everything if I do."

He nodded, watching her intently. Something was definitely upsetting her, and he wondered what it was that she might have seen in the flames.

"You should get some rest," he said simply, knowing that she would ignore his suggestion. In the distance, he heard the sound of the main door to the house sliding open.

"Rei-san!" Yuichirou called, and Mamoru didn't miss the fond smile that appeared on her lips. Seconds later, he appeared around the corner, carrying a bag of fruits and vegetables. "Hello there, Chiba-san," he greeted, friendly smile on his face.

"Kumada-san," he returned, wondering why he always insisted on being so formal with the man. He turned his gaze back to her. "Thank you for the advice, Rei. I should be getting home to Usako in time for dinner."

She smiled, moving to stand up to walk him to the door. He winced, wondering if she would stumble and if Yuichirou would notice. She rose elegantly, as if nothing had ever happened. He could have believed that he'd made the whole thing up if her hands weren't still shaking so much. Once they'd reached the door and were away from Yuichirou's potential gaze he pulled her into a nearly crushing embrace.

"I'm serious," he whispered fiercely. "You need to rest." He felt her nod against his chest.

"Don't make me turn Yuichirou loose on you," he teased, please when she genuinely laughed. He released her, watching her face intently, noticing that some of the brightness had returned to her gaze.

"Mamo," she called, her tone serious. "We can't do this alone." She fixed him with a gaze that he was certain could melt steel, and his mind drifted to the four stones sitting in a box in his living room. She didn't know about the Shittenou, did she? He'd kept it a secret from everyone, save for Usagi. He nodded, swallowing heavily.

"Should I tell Usako about what we've seen?" he asked, and was surprised when she nodded.

"I'll call a meeting for tomorrow so we can get everyone up to speed. It could happen any day now," she said, her tone dark.

He nodded, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly before turning into the waning daylight and disappearing down the steps.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

"Are you positive about this?" Ami asked. The woman was always skeptical about her visions in the fire, even though they had proved to be accurate time and time again. She simply nodded, despite the insult she was feeling as one of her most trusted friends questioned her abilities once again.

"Well, what should we do about it then? We haven't had to fight in years; I don't even know if I remember how to anymore," Minako questioned, chewing on her bottom lip worriedly.

"Based on what I've seen, I don't think we can do this on our own," Rei murmured, noticing the darkening gazes on her friends. "We need to call Haruka-san and Michiru-san. Probably Hotaru-chan as well."

Usagi cleared her throat. "Well, based on what Mamo-chan told me and what you've seen, Rei-chan, I think we might need more help than that." She turned a pointed gaze at Mamoru. Rei would have laughed at the flabbergasted expression on his face if the situation weren't so dire.

He sighed, reaching behind himself to pull out a small wooden box. He shot an apologetic look at Rei before lifting the lid and showing the girls what was inside.

She gasped, gripping her chest with her hand as four powerful auras washed over her. Four powerful auras of men that she thought were dead. She felt a hand grip her arm, probably Minako's, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to adjust to the new beings in the room, hating how sensitive she was to other energies in the world. They were lonely, nearly frantic, and desperately wanting to get out of their prison. Emotions that weren't hers washed over her, and for a moment she struggled to fight through them and find herself once again. A moment later, she had herself under control. She met Minako's concerned eyes, quietly whispering, "I'm fine."

"Are those what I think they are?" Makoto asked, staring at Mamoru intently.

"What are you talking about?" Ami asked, looking at her friends in confusion.

"Their spirits are in those stones, aren't they?" Minako asked, her tone serious.

Mamoru nodded, and realization dawned on Ami's face.

"Zoisite is in there?" she whispered, her disbelief evident in her voice.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Makoto asked angrily. "How long have you had those?"

Mamoru sighed. "A long time," he confessed. "I had them before the Galaxia ordeal. They give me advice when I need it. Beryl trapped them in these stones when they died so that we wouldn't be able to revive them and use them against her."

"Why would we even want to?" Makoto asked, practically yelling. "Don't you remember what they did? Don't you remember how the betrayed us? How they killed us?"

"That wasn't them," Mamoru and Rei said at the same time, causing everyone to look up at her in surprise.

"What are you talking about, Rei-chan? I saw him. He came to my rooms, slept with me, and snapped my neck," Makoto said, her voice shaking and tears shimmering in her eyes. "I know it was him."

Rei sighed heavily, looking up at Mamoru for guidance. "I'm not entirely sure how, Mako-chan, but I know it wasn't them. When Jadeite came for me I could feel that something was different. He wasn't himself, and something in his eyes was off. I couldn't figure out what it was. I was just so relieved to see him after everything that had happened on Earth; I was sure he was dead." She sighed again, fighting the tightness in her voice. "I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. It was his body, but it wasn't his spirit. There was some demon or something inside of him instead. I didn't understand it for a long time, not until I had gotten all of my memories back. I just know that it wasn't him."

"She's right," Mamoru confirmed, drawing the attention back to him. "They died on the battlefield. I saw their bodies. I had gone to retrieve them to bring them back to the Moon Kingdom for a proper burial, but Beryl got their first. She stole their bodies, and I figure that she placed her own monsters inside of them. I tried to get back to the Moon in time to warn you, but I was too late. Mars had already been murdered and so had Jupiter," he said, shuddering at the terrible images formed in his head. "They'd gone to awaken Mercury and Venus, but when they did they found you were dead as well. Everything fell apart later that day. That's all I remember."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ami asked, her voice soft and disbelieving. "Why would you let us think for so long that they betrayed us?"

"I didn't know how to explain it," Mamoru said glumly, feeling guilty for keeping secrets from them.

"It was easier to fight thinking that they'd betrayed us," Rei murmured, not looking at her fellow soldiers in the eyes. "I didn't believe it for a long time."

Minako's arm slid around her, pulling her into a lose embrace. "It's alright, Rei-chan. I understand." Ami nodded, and after a moment, Makoto sighed and nodded too.

"So why are you telling us about this now?" Makoto asked, sounding tired.

Mamoru took a deep breath, wondering how to word his proposal. "Rei-chan said that we couldn't do this alone." He reached over and took Usagi's hand for support. "If we use the crystals from all of our planets in conjunction with the Silver Crystal, we'll be able to revive them."

"Absolutely not!" Makoto shouted, jumping to her feet. "I don't care if there was some stupid demon inside of them; they should have fought harder! They never should have let Beryl defeat them. They were supposed to protect Earth. They were supposed to protect _us_!"

"Mako-chan, please," Usagi begged, tears forming in her eyes.

"How dare you!" she shouted again. "How dare you think that we could just let them back into our lives? No, absolutely one-hundred percent no, I will not help you with this." Without another word, she stormed out of the room, slamming the sliding door shut behind her and nearly ripping it off of its hinges.

After a moment of stunned silence, Minako finally spoke. "I know that they loved us," she said, almost sagely. "I know in my heart that they would never have willingly betrayed us. I'll help you."

Usagi smiled her thanks, shifting her gaze to Rei, where her head still rested on Minako's shoulder.

"Are you alright, Rei-chan?" she asked, looking at her intently. The raven haired girl nodded, sighing deeply before standing up from her position on the floor.

"I should talk to Mako-chan," she murmured. Mamoru knew it was because she wanted to get away from the auras of his old generals.

As she turned to leave, Ami called out to her. "Are you sure that it wasn't them?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. The miko nodded, and Ami sighed heavily, slumping her shoulders. "Then I'll help, too."

Usagi broke into a full grin. "And Rei-chan, you'll help us, won't you?" The hopeful expression on her face was almost too much to handle.

"Of course I will. But, it doesn't matter unless Mako-chan is here too."

.0.o.0.o.0.

She hadn't gone far. Rei found her sitting near the koi pond near the back of the shrine, idly skimming her fingers over the water with tears slipping from her eyes.

"This was my mother's favorite place," she said quietly, coming to sit next to her. She welcomed the fresh air, and the distance from the Shittenou; it gave her the opportunity to finally breathe. "Ojii-san said that she always came here when she was upset or when she needed guidance."

"It certainly is calming," Makoto whispered, not taking her eyes off the water. Rei moved to sit next to her, staying silent for a while. She understood Makoto's anger. She had harbored her own for quite some time.

"Ever since I got that memory back I tried to figure out why he would have betrayed me like that," she said, her voice shaking in a way that was very much unlike her. "I couldn't come up with anything that made sense, so I just convinced myself that everything had been fake, that he'd come to Jupiter with the sole intention of gaining my trust so he could use it later on for his own gain. It was the only thing that seemed logical. Dying, having some demonic being put inside his body, being controlled by Beryl, none of that makes any sense."

"Maybe you just can't accept the fact that he died trying to protect you. We all thought it was certain they would win." She sighed, fighting back painful memories. "Everyone thought that Mars being destroyed was just a fluke. We were a bunch of war-hungry nomads; everyone else in the solar system thought we were too backwards to survive as long as we did. There were a million good reasons as to why she could have destroyed Mars so easily, but very few good ones existed as to why the Earth would fall. We all thought Beryl sought to make it into her own base, her new kingdom. It didn't make any sense that she would seek to destroy it."

Makoto sighed, blinking back tears. "I think you're right," she murmured finally. "Do you think it is right to bring them back?"

Rei sighed, glancing back toward the house where she was sure everyone was awaiting her return. "In my vision I saw what would happen if we didn't have any help. I know that we can't do this alone. They were powerful; if anyone would be able to help us it would be them."

"How do you know they won't betray us?" Makoto asked, and she knew that the taller girl's decision would rest on her next words.

"I don't."

.0.o.0.o.0.

All of their heads snapped up as the door slid back open. Rei came in, not meeting any of their gazes. A few seconds later, Makoto followed.

"Okay, I'm in," she said, doubt still lingering on her face, "but if they kill us I'm going to haunt each and every one of you." Laughter sounded in the room.

Mamoru finally met Rei's eyes, mouthing a silent 'thank you.' She faintly smiled and nodded.

"So, when do we do this?" Minako asked as Makoto took a seat back down on the floor.

"The sooner the better," Rei said, her eyes darkening. "I don't know how long until the darkness starts coming back in, but it's going to be soon."

Mamoru nodded. "We need to do it now. We have no idea where they're going to appear and how long it will take us to find them. We might need to restore their memories too, and we're going to have to give them some of our memories of life in this time frame. If their memories intact, the last thing they'll remember is dying on the Earth thousands of years ago. We need some time to get them prepared."

"Well, can we do it now?" Ami asked.

"Now would be the most opportune time," a melodic voice murmured from the corner of the room, causing its occupants to jump in surprise.

"Setsuna-san!" Usagi squealed, excited to see the time guardian once again.

"My lady," she greeted, refined as ever. "You are correct in thinking that you need the assistance of the Shittenou. They will be very valuable in protecting Crystal Tokyo in the future."

"How do we do this, then?" Makoto asked, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a locket containing the crystal of Jupiter.

"You must gather the crystals together, with the Silver Crystal in the middle," she instructed, and the girls produced their lockets. Mamoru reached into his pocket and retrieved a pocket watch, flipping it open to reveal the golden crystal of Earth.

"Now," she said, "activate your planet powers. Link hands with one another and focus. Mamoru-sama, you need to place the stones with their respective crystals." They all did as she said, and Mamoru came to stand by her side.

"What do I need to do?" he asked, feeling a bit useless.

"When they are revived, you will be able to see where they are. They'll be revived in the past, so they will have lived lives in this century, but they won't have their memories of the Silver Millennium. You'll need to move quickly to find them and restore those memories. The girls will be able to revive them without your energy."

He nodded, watching the girls as they linked their hands together and arranged themselves in a circle around the crystal. He caught Makoto's eyes, and she shot him a look that clearly said 'this had better not be a fucking mistake, Mamoru-san,' and he managed a weak smile in return. He turned to ask Setsuna how long it would take, but he found that she was no longer standing next to him. He sighed. She probably had to go back into the past to revive them.

He thought of his generals with fondness, and wondered who they would be in this life. He couldn't imagine them being anyone other than themselves. They had all had such strong personalities; would those carry over in their new lives? Most of the girls were relatively the same, although Rei had lost much of her confidence and trust and Makoto seemed to be lacking in her feminine wiles and grace that she had possessed in the past. He knew that this was because of the hardships they had faced in these new lives.

A soft glow began to surround them, one by one, starting with Rei and Ami. He smirked slightly; they were the best at being able to control their thoughts. Usagi was the last to become completely focused, and her silver glow seemed to illuminate the entire room. He studied their faces, watching them intently. Bringing back the Shittenou would change everything for them, and he knew it well. He remembered the great plan his father, the King of Earth had, to marry off all of the princes to the inner planetary princesses. It had been a brilliant plan, and he was lucky that his generals were blessed with charm and good looks. Mars had been the easiest to convince. The war-torn planet had been so desperate to improve its relations with its neighbors that the Ares had practically leaped at the opportunity, promising his only daughter to whichever young prince the King saw fit. Jupiter had been the worst; their secretive people had been reluctant to even let the Earthlings on the surface of their home.

He sighed, past memories mixing with pleasant ones. Not for the first time, he wished that they had been able to protect the Earth better so long ago. He wished he had never trusted Beryl in the first place.

Suddenly, the gems also began to glow, drawing Mamoru out of his thoughts.

"This is it," he murmured.

Beams of light shot up from the stones, and as they did, strange visions overtook Mamoru's sight.

He saw Kunzite and Jadeite as small boys, laughing and playing with one another as a blond woman looked on, smiling.

He saw Zoisite as a child with his hands clutched over his ears, trying to drown out the sound of his parents fighting in the next room.

He saw a youthful Nephrite, grinning from ear to ear while standing at his father's side as the older man delivered a rousing campaign speech.

More flashes of their lives appeared. Kunzite punching Jadeite in the face, yelling at him for something or other. Zoisite winning awards for his stellar grades. Nephrite becoming a tennis champion. Kunzite consoling a broken-hearted Jadeite as they stood by their mother's grave. Zoisite's early graduation from high school as his proud mother. Nephrite getting dumped hours before his senior prom.

Kunzite, lecturing a class of college students in a room he recognized at Tokyo University.

Jadeite, leading a class of first graders wearing Juuban's uniforms through the local zoo.

Zoisite, conducting research in the oncology wing of the hospital he worked at.

Nephrite, hanging a sign over the door of his new publishing company.

As suddenly as they'd come, the visions faded, leaving him standing in the darkening room as the girls returned to themselves. Rushing over, he checked to see if the stones were still there.

They weren't.

Ami came back to her senses first. "Do you know where they are?"

He nodded. "Well, I suppose I know. I saw flashes of their lives here, and I think I saw where all of them are working now. It's just a matter of finding him."

"Do they remember anything from the Silver Millennium?" Rei's voice inquired; he was met with Usagi's inquisitive gaze as well.

He shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it."

Makoto sighed heavily, which earned her a warm pat on the back from Minako.

"I guess there's no turning back now," the tall warrior murmured, finding great interest in the beds on her fingernails.

"No," Mamoru confirmed. "No, there certainly isn't."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Hope you all enjoyed this! Please read and review.


	2. Encountered

AN – Ohh, goodness. This story won't seem to get out of my head! Maybe updates _will_ be pretty quick with this one. We'll just have to wait and see! Anyway, here's chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy it. Please remember to read and review! Thanks, friends. =)

Warnings: More bad language, some man-slut behavior, mild angst, and pseudo-lesbianism. Awesome.

.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Encountered_

A Sailormoon fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.0.o.0.o.0.

Takata Keitaro sighed, rubbing his hand over his face in an effort to ease the frustration he felt. He never imagined that this was what he would do with his life. He enjoyed the research aspect of his job, yes, but the fact that he had to attempt to educate rebellious young adults about the finer parts of Greek mythology was ludicrous. He eyes glanced longingly at the new book he had received from a colleague; it was all about Aphrodite, his favorite subject in his field. He was driven to study her because of dreams of a golden haired goddess he'd had nearly every night of his young life.

In a word, he was obsessed.

His brother teased him often, constantly asking if he'd found his Aphrodite yet. It made sense, of course; he couldn't remember the last time he had gone on a date. It wasn't his fault. At least, he didn't think it was. It was just that none of the girls he met in real life had ever even held a candle to the girl of his dreams.

Right, obsessed.

He sighed, brushing some of his already graying hair over his shoulder, grumbling to himself. He picked up the next essay he had to read, written by one of the students who frequently showed up to class drunk out of his mind, and sighed. He needed to get through these papers as soon as possible; they were the whole reason he was wasting his Saturday at work.

Three hours later, he welcomed the distraction as he heard someone knocking on his office door. Even if it was a student with a question, it was still better than reading those goddess-awful papers.

"Come in," he called, attempting to sound more like the imposing college professor he aspired to be, instead of the exhausted doctorate student he really was.

"Onii-chan, you will not believe the day I've had," his brother, Jiro, said as he entered the room, sighing dramatically when he sank into the chair across the desk. He ran his hand through his curled blond hair in an act of frustration rarely seen in his normally carefree brother.

"If it involves Miyako, I'm not entirely sure I want to hear about it," he said honestly. His brother had been trapped in a destructive on-again off-again relationship ever since their mother had died. He desperately needed stability, and usually he only found that with his older brother, though he constantly tried with that goddess forsaken woman.

"I really think I'm done this time," he said, his tone serious, for once.

"Wait, you're not trying to defend her to me anymore?" Keitaro asked, genuinely surprised. Jiro always came to vent about his problems with the woman, then immediately defended her when he was finished. It was a cycle he hadn't been able to break out of ever since he was sixteen years old.

"No," he said, sighing heavily. "She's cheating," he said simply, and Keitaro would be lying if he said he was surprised.

"How do you know?"

"I caught her. It was parent-teacher conference day this morning, and one of the kids threw up on my shirt," he said glumly, and Keitaro resisted the urge to laugh. How his brother tolerated taking care of six year olds all day long was completely beyond him. "I usually have a spare in my locker but I guess I wore it and forgot to get a new one. So I go home and she's there with some guy, in _my_ bed, in _my_ apartment. She doesn't even live there! I couldn't even say anything. I just grabbed a shirt and left. She called me later to apologize and I told her I was done."

"And of course she threw a tantrum about it," he said, feeling for his brother.

"Of course. But I had a couple more conferences to go, so I hung up on her and just tried to quit worrying about it. I decided I would call her when I got home, but when I got there my apartment was completely trashed. Stuff is broken everywhere. It's awful. My landlord is kicking me out."

"Did you call the police on her?"

"Yea," he said, staring at the floor. "They arrested her a while ago. I really could care less."

"You do know that you deserve better than her," he stated, watching his brother intently.

"It's too lonely for me," he admitted after a moment, and Keitaro smiled sadly. "I can't just keep waiting for my Aphrodite, you know. I can't stand not being with someone."

He understood those feelings in his brother quite well. Growing up, Jiro had been very close with their mother. She had been his rock in every sense of the word, steadying him and guiding him forward in life. She had reassured him that it wasn't his fault when their father left, annoyed at the lack of attention he got from his wife as she cared for two children. Jiro had always been closer with their mother than he was, and he knew how much her untimely death destroyed him. The younger boy became trapped in a swirl of depression, crushed by his loneliness to the point that Keitaro was sure he would lose his brother too. He'd tried to fill the role as best as he could for him, but he knew it would never be quite enough.

"I know," he said, standing and grabbing his coat. "Come on, I'll take you out to dinner."

Jiro shook his head. "I've got to find a new apartment."

He resisted the urge to smack him. "Don't be an idiot. I have two bedrooms; come stay with me."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Kiyomizu Yoshikazu was a prodigy, and everyone knew it. At the tender age of twenty-four he was the youngest doctor working in his unit, having completed his residency just months before. Now he was working at the forefront of cancer research, finally getting to utilize his specialization in oncology after years of working on traumas in the ER. He knew he was special and that he would be treated differently, but this was getting ridiculous.

He used the pipette to transfer some of the cancer cells into a solution to prepare them to be injected into a test subject. Normally, this wouldn't be very bothersome, but today there were about twelve other scientists and doctors standing behind him, watching his every move like ravenous wolves, just waiting for him to mess up so they could finally prove that he wasn't all everyone said he could be.

Finally, his work was completed, and the cancer vaccines were ready to be injected into the mice tomorrow. There was a collective sigh from behind him, some of relief and others in frustration. Not for the first time, he cursed his age, wondering why it was he hadn't gone into sales or something that everyone else seemed to think would have been more appropriate.

His phone rang while he was walking home, and he winced when he saw his mother's name flash across the screen. He really didn't want to deal with her right now. Reluctantly, he flipped it open and took the call.

"Hello, okaa-san," he greeted, trying to sound happier than he felt.

"Kazu!" she practically screamed, seeming beyond elated that he had answered her call. "Don't you believe anything that your father says about me," she said, and he sighed as he detected the distinctive slur in her words. She was definitely drunk. Or high. Or both.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said honestly; he hadn't spoken to his father in weeks.

"He's going around and telling everyone that I got arrested for giving alcohol to a baby. But I didn't! It's all a lie because he hates me and wants to take you away from me again."

He sighed, knowing that his mother was referring to the rough custody battle that happened after the divorce. She had been a more respectable person, from a family with a lot of wealth, with a great job at a law firm. Everything had been going her way, until she and his doctor father began to argue. It had all stemmed from an incident involving him, as his father wanted to send him to a specialty to school for gifted students, and his mother had insisted that he go to a normal school with other normal children.

It became an issue that they couldn't resolve, and it ultimately led to their divorce. It had devastated his mother, and she'd turned to alcoholism as soon as her husband moved out. She missed several custody hearings over the months that followed, which ultimately resulted in her losing visitation rights altogether. When that happened, her drinking got worse, and she'd turned to drugs as well, causing her to lose her job. Her addictions grew out of control, and despite numerous attempts by himself and his father, as well as her entire family, she had not sought help and checked herself into a rehabilitation center. He'd tried numerous times, but had ultimately given up trying to help her.

She didn't want it anyway.

"I mean, Kazu, that's so irresponsible! That could kill a baby! He must have found out that you still talk to me some times and decided to stop that too." Her voice grew bitter. "He always thinks he knows what's best for you, but he doesn't know anything!"

"Okaa-san," he said gently, trying not to increase her ire, "you know he did a great job raising me. You know he took care of me. And, maybe more importantly, you know he cared about you. How many times has he tried to help you? Have we tried to help you? You always push us away. Otou-san would never say something ridiculous like that."

"You're just like him sometimes," she said, her tone growing wistful. "So compassionate. That's why you're such a great doctor! Everyone loves to hear about how my son is a doctor."

"Okaa-san, I told you. I'm not that kind of doctor anymore. I do research on medicine now."

"Does that pay you good money?" she asked, her tone hushed, and he winced.

"How much do you want this time?" he asked, regrets staining in his voice. One of his worst qualities had to be that he couldn't say no to her. He knew he would show up at their meeting place, hand her the money, and pray that, as he watched her walk away, it wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

More than that, he prayed that he wouldn't be the enabler in her self-destruction.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"That is complete and utter bullshit, and we both know it," Kaneko Norio swore, clinching his hands into a fist. "We would never reject a submission on religious grounds. We're a new publishing firm; we can afford to be that picky!"

"Are you not concerned with the political implications of that statement?" Hino Takashi asked, narrowing his eyes at the young businessman in front of him. He was good friends with this boy's father, and had been called in to return a favor by giving him damage control advice.

"What are you talking about, Hino-san?" he asked, clearly forgetting decorum.

"You're reasoning is that you wouldn't reject that book because you can't afford to be picky. It implies that you _would_ reject the book if you had more money to work with."

Realization dawned on the man's face, a faint blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks momentarily. "I understand now," he conceded. "I apologize for my bluntness," he said, bowing slightly.

"You'll make a formidable businessman one day, Norio, but you let your temper get the best of you." He tried not to think of saying similar words to his departed wife as she defended their daughter's unbalanced behavior.

Norio nodded, quickly regaining his composure. "I recommend that you hire a publicity consultant before you keep moving forward with this business of yours. It will help teach you to see things in perspective when dealing with implications like this. Now, why have you chosen not to publish this book?"

Norio cleared his throat, giving himself an extra moment to think. "We are unable to publish this book at this time due to the limited audience that it appeals to. We cannot take the financial risk to distribute this book, but we welcome more submissions from this author in the future."

Takashi smiled, clapping quietly.

Hours later, the senator left, and Norio expressed his gratitude to him numerous times. That man had become a second father to him in recent years as he started off on his own path. It had been encouraging to have the support of both of them as he took on the huge risk of opening his own company, and he had promised to supply publishing services to both of their campaigns.

It was just good business.

He sighed, deciding it was time to head home for the day. He hated working on Saturdays, but it was the only time he and the senator could meet to figure out how to deal with this little dilemma, and he was confident that he could take care of it come Monday morning. He sent a quick email to his assistant, asking her to draft an employment announcement for a publicity consultant. He wasn't about to stomp on the senator's advice.

On his way home, he decided to swing by his gym and get in a quick workout; he _was_ one of Tokyo's most eligible bachelors. Senator Hino had hinted that he would be a fine match for his daughter, although he had never even seen a picture of her. He imagined that she must be some sort of troll that he kept hidden away in his basement to avoid public shame. He snorted out a laugh, imagining a stodgy girl with many of the senator's less than favorable facial features.

He smirked, surveying the women working out in the gym at the moment. It was the weekend; it wouldn't do for him to not have a lady friend for the evening. His eyes settled on a tall brunette, his type of woman, and he went in for the kill.

Later that night, after taking her to dinner and getting her sufficiently intoxicated enough, he had his way with her. As she slept, he laid in bed, listening to the soft snores of the woman beside him, wondering what love was supposed to feel like.

He didn't think the empty feeling in his chest counted.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Oh, Jiro, let's go up there!" Keitaro called, pointing in the direction of a very large staircase. He wrinkled his nose.

"Are you serious? That's at least a hundred stairs. What's at the top, a whore house?" his brother laughed, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the direction of the stairs. Immediately he regretted suggesting that the order another round of drinks; he should have remembered that the older man couldn't hold his liquor.

"Cloooose," he sing-songed, laughing all the while. Crap, he was in for it now. "There's a shrine up there!"

"How is that close?" he muttered, reluctantly following along, although Keitaro didn't release his arm.

"Because they sell love charms, idiot," he said, as though it were the most logical thought in the world. "We need to find you someone who _loves_ you and not just your –"

Jiro slapped a hand over his mouth before his brother could continue. "You said it's a shrine; be appropriate." His brother simply laughed at him. A pair of tourists that were coming down gave them a questioning glance, and he wondered why they had gone out so early in the evening. Oh well, at least he would probably sober up before bed time.

When they'd finally reached the top, they found the place to be deserted except for a man about Jiro's age who was sweeping some leaves out of the courtyard. He headed to the altar, deciding a quick prayer was in order.

Keitaro chose to saunter over to the man. "Tell me about your shrine!" he commanded, his voice filled with glee and a mild dash of authority. Jiro shuddered; he hadn't heard him sound like that since he was five years old. Oh, he was in for it when his brother sobered up. He tuned out the rest of their conversation, kneeling down and asking the kami to forgive both himself and Miyako.

He wondered why he still even cared what happened to her. Probably because he was such a hopeless romantic.

In a way, he was glad for his apartment's destruction. It would have been hell to try and sleep there alone tonight. Alone wasn't something that he did well; even in school he had always surrounded himself with friends, whether they were true friends or not. He knew he was a nice person, perhaps a little naïve and full of himself, but he didn't look at those as negatives. At least not all the time. Although, he did tend to take it personally when Keitaro compared his personality to those of the first graders he taught all day long.

He asked to be forgiven for how he acted during his depression. It hadn't been fair to Keitaro; he had been hurting too, and instead he'd been forced to drop out of college for a semester and take care of his rapidly unwinding little brother.

He asked to be forgiven for his failed suicide attempt, something that he still hoped his brother didn't know about, because he could _never_ know about. It was his deepest shame, his moment of complete weakness, something that he carried with him every day. He realized now what a stupid mistake that would have been.

He sighed, rising from the altar and deciding to see what trouble his brother had managed to get into, but his heart still felt unbearably heavy.

He was laughing, slapping the shoulder of the shaggy brown haired man in front of him. Apparently, the shrine was full of comical stories.

"Oy," Keitaro shouted when he noticed his approach. "This is my brother, Jiro! He needs some love in his life." He winked, unsuccessfully.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to shake the man's hand in greeting. "He's usually much more refined." The priest simply smiled and shook his head.

"Yuichirou," he said, indicating himself. "Don't worry about it; he's pretty entertaining."

They chatted for a bit, mostly about senseless things, until the sun began to set. "Come on," Jiro said, tugging at his brother's arm. "We've got to go home." He wanted to at least get back to his apartment to pick up some clothes and other essentials that would last him for a while before heading across town to Keitaro's. The priest waved a farewell as they departed, and they were halfway down the stairs before he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"We didn't buy a love charm!"

In an instant, Keitaro was bounding up the stairs. He sighed reluctantly, knowing that he should follow him, but instead chose to sit on the stairs. A few moments later, he heard his brother bidding someone farewell before walking back down the stairs.

"You missed it Otouto! There was a pretty girl there this time." He winked again, still unsuccessfully.

"You know shrine maidens stay virgins their entire lives, right?" At this, his brother frowned.

"I'm just trying to help you."

Jiro sighed, getting tired of trying to deal with his drunken logic. "Prettier than Aphrodite?"

Keitaro laughed. "Of course not."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Rei was almost in a full panic as she scrambled back into the house, trying to find her phone. She had to call Mamoru. Finally, her fingers curled around the familiar piece of plastic, dialing the number she knew by heart.

"Moshi moshi! Chiba residence," Usagi answered, bubbly as ever despite the deep events of their afternoon.

"Usagi, I need to talk to Mamoru right now," she said, forgetting to be polite.

"Rei-chan, what's going on?" She sounded worried. "Mamo-chan just left for the store. I don't think he brought his phone with him because it's just down the street."

She groaned in frustration. "I found Kunzite," she blurted out, and she heard her friend gasp on the other end of the line.

"Are you sure?" she asked, disbelief in her voice. "I can't believe we'd see them so soon."

"Well, Setsuna did say she was going to revive them in the past. They've lived whole lives in this city, at least that's what Mamoru thought, so it only makes sense that we might run into them."

"Was he the same? Oh, Mina-chan will be so excited!"

"I think he was drunk or something. He looks the same though, so I know it was him," she sighed.

"Why do you think he was drunk?"

Rei resisted the urge to laugh. "He giggled."

Usagi burst out laughing outright. To most people, Kunzite was a very controlled and stoic man, but to those who had known him best, he had a bit more of a personality to him. Rei had been invited into his inner circle because of her friendship with Minako, and she had seen him loosen up on many occasions. She guessed now that he was just another happy citizen of Tokyo he didn't have much reason to be so uptight anymore.

"He said his name was Keitaro. Takata Keitaro, I think," she said, reimagining the man in her head. "Yuichirou said he had been there a bit earlier with his brother. He thought his name was Jiro. He said he was blond."

"And you missed him! Thousands of years later and you finally get to see Jadeite again and you _missed_ him. What were you doing that was so important?"

"Cleaning up the tea you dumped on my carpet before you left, remember?" She hoped Usagi at least had the decency to blush. "Besides, we don't even know if they really are brothers in this life. Mamoru said that he thought they were, but that doesn't mean anything."

Usagi groaned. "I know; you're right. I just want you to be happy, Rei-chan."

That caught her off guard. She knew that Usagi still harbored some guilt over her fated relationship with Mamoru. It had taken a long time for Rei to admit to her how badly it had hurt, how it had been so much worse because neither of them even seemed to notice how it impacted her. She had loved Mamoru, and he had made her happy for the first time in her life until he was ripped away from her. Like everyone else. They had worked past all of that, of course, and she knew Usagi only had good intentions.

"I don't even know if I'll like this new Jadeite. Maybe he's a jerk. Makoto and I are so different from who we were back then, it only makes sense that they might be too."

"I guess I didn't think about it like that," Usagi conceded. "Oh, Mamo-chan is back. Here, I'll put him on for you." There was a bit of rustling in the background before his voice sounded through the line.

"You found Kunzite?" he asked, sounding overjoyed.

"Yes, and maybe Jadeite, if they really are brothers. I only saw Kunzite though."

"This is fantastic. I thought it was going to be much harder to find them! If he comes back, you need to stall him. Get Minako to come over and ask him on a date or something. It'll be easier if we can get them all in the same place to restore their memories."

"I'll do my best," she promised, wondering why she felt so antsy.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Ami sighed, plopping down on an abandoned gurney to take a rest. She hated this internship. It was exhausting to work forty-eight hour shifts, never knowing if you were going to get enough sleep to be able to do right by your patients. She started to close her eyes when she caught a glint of copper out of the corner of her sight.

It couldn't be.

She turned to get a better look and felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw none other than Zoisite headed in her direction. She tried not to stare, but she was sure she looked like a fish out of water, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He paused at a vending machine nearly directly in front of her, sifting through the options to try and find a snack.

"It's not polite to stare," he called out, not bothering to look at her. She promptly shut her mouth and focused her eyes on her hand that were clasped in her lap.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, feeling the blush creep up on her cheeks, trying to come up with something to say that sounded mildly intelligent. For a genius, she could be pretty dumb sometimes.

She blamed that on years of hanging out with Usagi.

Before she could come up with anything, a pair of scrub-clad legs appeared in front of her, and she looked up. 'Still those beautiful green eyes,' she mused. He reached his hand forward, holding out a slightly bruised apple.

She shot him a questioning glance. He simply shrugged.

"The machine gave me two."

She was glad she was sitting. Even after all these years, his voice and eyes still had that same effect on her, making her legs feel like jelly. Tentatively, she reached out and took the offered fruit from him.

"Thank you," she managed to choke out, wondering when she'd turned into such a coward again.

To her great dismay/excitement, he sat next to her.

"You're Mizuno Ami, right?" he asked.

Surprised, she nodded her head. She wondered if they had met before, at least in his memories, and wondered if she would ever remember too.

He stuck out his hand. "Kiyomizu Yoshikazu," he said simply. She shook his hand, slowly, still unsure of what to do. "I work in the oncology lab. I remember seeing you from the tour you took in there."

"You remembered me?" said asked, incredulously, causing him to blush substantially.

"Well, yes. I mean, your mother is quite famous around here. How couldn't I have noticed you?" His blush didn't fade, and she chuckled lightly.

Same old Zoisite, always putting his foot in his mouth.

"Okay, I'm not normally like this," he said, his voice taking on a more direct, very un-Zoisite like tone. "I noticed you because I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. It was only for a second, but it took my breath away." He glanced away. "I might have stalked you a bit to learn your name."

At that, she laughed, a cherished memory from the Silver Millennium coming to mind.

_.o.o.o._

"_My lord, where is it in this galaxy that you love to visit the most?" Princess Koori of Mercury asked, eyeing her supposed suitor with interest._

_General Zoisite didn't falter for a moment, though his voice took on a slight tremor. "Oh, I suppose Europa is a nice place to vacation to. This," he said, gesturing around to the icy Mercurian landscape, "is my favorite of the planets, by far. But if I were to choose the ultimate vacation, I would go to Europa. It's quite exotic there, I think. A world so similar to Mercury in climate but with such different life."_

_Ami froze in her tracks. "That's exactly what I would say as well. How…interesting." Her gaze was scrutinizing, and he blushed furiously._

_He looked away, focusing on some trees in the distance. She continued to stare straight through him._

_He was caught._

"_Alright, I really enjoy visiting Saturn the most. My page might have stalked you a bit. I wanted to know all the right things to say!" With one simple gaze she'd completely unnerved him. He sighed, hanging his head in shame._

_She was torn between revulsion and sympathy. It was very obvious that he had only sought to impress her. Gently, she reached forward and cupped his chin, bringing his face up to meet her gaze again._

"_If you aim to impress me, sir, then I would ask that you be yourself. I'm not so vain that I aspire to love someone who may as well be my clone."_

_He nodded, dumbly. She simply smiled, reaching to take his hand and lace her fingers in his._

_.o.o.o._

He blushed, deeply. "Why is that so funny?" he asked, looking a bit wounded.

"Oh," she said, taking a breath to get herself under control. "I didn't mean it to be a bad thing."

He smiled, sighing a bit a relaxing. "Would you like to go out sometime? I promise I'm usually not this forward, but I'd like to get to know you a bit better. You applied to oncology, right?" he asked, then immediately blushed, knowing that more of his stalking had been revealed.

"Yes, I did; we should get to know each other better. Hopefully one day soon we'll be working with each other."

The smile that lit up his face was a bright as the sun.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Norio woke slowly, running a hand through his long, chestnut hair. Looking to his left, he was mildly disappointed to see that the girl he had been with last night was gone. He didn't see any traces of her, which he thought was unusual. Usually they left a shoe or a shirt or something so they could have an excuse to get in touch with him again. And they almost always left a number.

He was mildly put off by it.

Groaning, he headed into the kitchen, not bothering to dress himself, to see if she had perhaps left him a note, or, even better, to find her cooking his breakfast stark naked.

Instead, he was greeted with an empty, silent apartment.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. Even though it was just a one night stand, he still felt like he had been betrayed.

He returned to his room, grabbing some clothes and throwing them on. He didn't feel like cooking, so he decided to head to the new bakery that had opened around the corner from his building to grab some coffee and something he would undoubtedly have to work off at the gym later.

Despite the fact that it was nearly eleven on a Sunday morning, the place looked to be deserted. He groaned, wondering if this was a bad idea, but pushed the door open and headed inside anyway. The only thing that greeted him was the soft tinkling of the bell above the door.

A moment later, a woman's voice called out, "I'll be right with you!"

He sighed, looking at the pastries in the case. They all looked quite delicious, and he could feel his mouth watering. Eventually, a woman came out, and he looked up, gasping in surprise.

At first, he thought it was the girl from last night, but under closer inspection, he realized that this woman was much more beautiful. She was tall, honey brown hair pulled into a high ponytail on her head. Her body was positively to die for; he could tell that she was fit, but still had the delectable curves that he thought all women needed. His mouth dried instantly when she looked up and met him with electric green eyes.

Her mouth fell open in shock. "Nephrite?" she asked, tentatively.

He couldn't help the laughter that spilled out of his mouth. "What a ridiculous name!" She blushed, muttering an apology as she reached her hand out to him. He shook it strongly.

"Kino Makoto," she greeted, smiling, although she looked quite uncomfortable.

"Kaneko Norio," he replied, thinking of ways to make her his newest conquest.

"I'm sorry; you just look so much like someone I used to know," she said, smiling politely. "What can I get for you?"

'Grab all of your bottles of whipped cream and get naked in my bed,' his mind screamed. He coughed uncomfortably at the way his thoughts were going. 'Get it together, Norio.'

"Do you bake these things?" he asked nonchalantly, gesturing toward the display case.

"Erm, yes. This is my store. Some of my friends come to help from time to time but it's pretty much just me. For now anyway."

He was in heaven. A woman would could cook _and_ look good naked. Usually those culinary types were a bit too soft in the middle. He needed to find a way to go in for the kill. This one might take a bit longer than all of the others to woo into his bed.

"Well then, I'll take your best cup of coffee and your best pastry," he said, offering his most dazzling smile.

She nodded, still looking a bit uncomfortable. With his luck, the man he resembled was probably some big douche who had ruined her view of men completely. Yes, this girl was going to take some work. She returned, handing him a steaming cup of coffee and a plate with a rather large pastry on it. It looked to be delectable, covered in strawberries and cherries with some icing artfully splayed over top of it. He opened his mouth to compliment her just as the phone rang.

"Oh, excuse me," she said, heading into the back room. He grumbled, taking his breakfast and heading to one of the small tables near the counter.

"Good morning; Satou Bakery," she greeted. He smirked. Nothing like eavesdropping on a good conversation.

"Oh, hi Ami-chan; what's going on? Aren't you working this weekend?"

He wondered if this Ami was an attractive woman or not.

"What?" He choked on his coffee at her outburst. "Is she alright?"

Hmm, sounded like there was some drama brewing in his little sprite's world.

"No, no; I'll be right there. It's alright. The store's not too crowded anyway. I'll be there in ten minutes, tops. See you soon."

Well, shit.

She rushed back out of the back room, untying her apron and depositing on the counter.

"I'm very sorry, Kaneko-san. I have a family emergency I need to attend to and I need to close up the store." She reached into a drawer, grabbing a slip of paper and handing it to him.

He glanced at it as he gathered his things, wrapping the pastry in a napkin. A coupon for a free pastry. Excellent; she obviously wanted to see him again. 'Or she's just being polite,' his inner thoughts teased.

"I'm so sorry; please come back again," she said as she held the door open for him. He stepped out, allowing her space to close and lock the door. He opened his mouth to say something when she'd finished, but she was off like a flash, not even glancing back to say goodbye. Internally, he grumbled as he focused on her retreating figure.

At least she was nice to look at from behind.

.0.o.0.o.0.

She reached the hospital just moments later, spotting Rei and Minako in the waiting area of the emergency room. She headed in their direction, eventually noting the distraught and guilty look on Minako's face as her head rested on Rei's shoulder. Rei had her arm around her, rubbing her shoulder gently.

Not for the first time, Makoto wondered if their friendship was maybe something else.

"What happened? Is she alright?"

Minako pulled away from the miko, learning forward and covering her face with her hands. "It's all my fault!" she wailed, and Rei practically rolled her eyes.

"They went to the park this morning to hang out. They got some ice cream and Mina-chan grabbed Usagi's and made her chase her around the park for it. Somewhere along the line Usagi tripped and scrapped up her leg pretty bad." Rei said, keeping her tone even.

"It's broken! I just know it," Minako nearly sobbed, grabbing onto Rei's thigh with what looked to be an uncomfortably tight grip. "A new enemy is coming and I went and broke her leg!"

Rei smacked at her hand until she released. "Ami-chan didn't think it was broken; just relax," she said, her voice significantly more gentle that normal. She looked back at Makoto. "She thinks she needs some stitches but that's about it. She'll be fine."

"Well that's a relief," she replied, catching Rei's eye and gesturing toward Minako.

"She's just stressed because I saw Kunzite yesterday. Ami-chan has a date with Zoisite tomorrow. Oh, and Jadeite is probably Kunzite's less drunken brother, but we don't know that for sure. I don't think she expected to find them that fast."

"Nephrite came into the bakery this morning," she said, her nerves acting up again. "I was going to try and get more information out of him, but Ami-chan called and I got worried. I did give him a coupon for a free pastry so maybe he'll come back."

"A coupon?" Minako shouted, jumping up to stand in front of her. "That's the most unromantic thing I've ever heard of!"

"Mina," Rei soothed, her voice sounding decidedly foreign to Makoto. "We didn't bring them back to make them fall in love with us all over again. We brought them back so we could win this fight."

The blond visibly deflated, then turned her ire on her best friend.

"You may be completely happy being celibate and ignoring men for the rest of your life, but I certainly am not!"

Rei just sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly.

"Um, where's Mamoru?" she asked, trying to break the tension between the two. Yes, they were definitely long lost sisters.

Minako plopped back down into her chair, sighing dramatically. "Back there with Usagi-chan. He'll be glad to know you found Nephrite. Now all we need to do is find Jadeite. And Figure out how to get them all in the same place. And probably ruin their lives as they know it."

A strange look passed over Rei's features, but Makoto didn't say anything about it.

She glanced around the waiting room and spotted Ami heading in their direction. She grabbed Rei and Minako's attention, meeting the bluenette halfway.

"She's fine," Ami said immediately, gesturing for them to follow her back. They navigated the emergency wing quickly, coming to stop at a room near the end of the hall. Usagi was lying in bed, her leg wrapped up in bandages but a smile present on her face.

"You all came! That's so nice of you, but I'm really okay." She reached out and grabbed Minako's hand, noticing the worried expression the girl still wore. "Really."

Ami cleared her throat. "We did some blood work on you, just to make sure you didn't get anything nasty in those cuts when you fell," she said. Mamoru looked at her, mildly concerned.

"We never mention those tests unless something comes up positive on them," he said. The girls held their collective breath. Ami chewed her lip nervously.

"Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san," she said, looking at the chart in front of her one more time before locking eyes with her princess. "You're pregnant."

Mamoru promptly fainted and fell to the floor.

.0.o.0.o.0.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review. Thanks!


	3. Rendezvous

AN – I know, it's unreal. Three updates from me in less than a week! I'm telling you guys; don't get too used to it. I've got to get back to work on _Esprit d'Incendie_ before I make those loyal followers angry. I'm struggling a bit on the next couple of chapters of that because I am having them align with some episodes of the anime, which makes it more tedious to write. I have free reign over this story, which is fantastic! Anyway, thank you to everyone so far for all of the hits, favorites, alters, and reviews! You guys rock. =)

Warnings: More bad language, some more pseudo-lesbianism, etc. etc.

For Review: Takata Keitaro = Kunzite, Kaneko Norio = Nephrite, Kiyomizu Yoshikazu = Zoisite, and Takata Jiro = Jadeite.

.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Rendezvous_

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Shit." Makoto's elegance was unwavering.

"Now? Is that why there's some new threat?" Minako snapped into her 'leader voice' immediately.

"I can't believe this," Ami muttered, as she waved smelling salts under Mamoru's nose to wake him up.

Usagi looked to be on the verge of tears, leaning over the edge of the bed nearly frantically to check on her unconscious husband.

Rei sat silently, watching the slight commotion around her with interest. She had suspected from her vision that this news was coming soon, but she had to be honest, it was a little shocking. She shuddered. Things would start happening quickly, now. She just knew it.

The noises of the room faded out, replaced by the chilling sounds of her vision. Her eyes lost focus, remembering.

Suddenly, Mamoru jolted awake, sitting up with such force that he smacked heads with Ami. Rei jumped, and Minako shot her a questioning glance.

"Sorry, sorry," Mamoru apologized profusely, scrambling to his feet to be by Usagi's side. He grabbed her hand immediately. "You're off duty."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"What? No!" she practically wailed. "I won't let all of you fight by yourselves! We're a team!"

"Usagi-chan," Ami said, still rubbing her head gingerly, "Don't be ridiculous. We can't put Chibiusa at risk unnecessarily; you know that."

Tears started flowing down Usagi's cheeks, and Rei moved to stand next to her, taking her other hand.

"Usagi, you can't do this right now. It's our mission to protect you," she said, her voice quite gentle. "I swear, if I have to tie you up and leave you somewhere, I will. You cannot be a part of this fight."

"Please, Usagi-chan," Makoto chimed in. "We can handle this. We'll have the Shittenou. We'll get the Outers. We'll be alright."

"There's no sense in putting yourself in danger for no reason," Ami added. Minako nodded with each of their statements, choosing to stay quiet for the moment.

"I won't promise you anything," Usagi said, sniffling quietly. "If you're in trouble I won't sit by and do nothing."

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Did you know that news was coming?" Minako asked as they left the hospital, heading in the direction of their shared apartment. Well, their _almost_ shared apartment. Rei only really stayed there during the week when she had classes. Most of her free time was occupied by helping Yuichirou manage the shrine.

"No," she admitted. "I had a feeling it would be soon, but that was just a hunch."

"Hmm." She sounded thoughtful. Rei braced herself. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Mina," she said, for about the eighth time since their meeting yesterday afternoon.

"Well, you always say that, but I know you're not," she said. "You might be able to fool everyone else, but not me."

Rei sighed, sounded resigned. "I know," she muttered, sounding almost defeated.

"So what is it?"

She sighed again, trying to figure out what to say. "My vision wasn't so pleasant."

"They never are, it seems. You saw us lose, right?"

Rei just nodded.

"Did anybody die this time?" she asked, referring to when Rei had seen all of their deaths at Galaxia's hand, long before she had shown herself as a threat.

"Not that I saw. Someone was hurt, and that was all there was. Then I saw the city in ruins."

Minako slipped her arm around Rei's shoulder, guiding her along as they reached the door of their apartment building. The trip of the stairs was a silent one, and Minako could sense that her friend was on the verge of tears. Finally they reached the door, and Rei practically collapsed onto their couch, her hands shaking.

"I'll make some tea," Minako offered, and Rei nodded gratefully.

She let her eyes slipped closed, forcing herself to focus on happy memories, envisioning her mothering taking her to the shrine to play, the first night she really kissed Yuichirou, the first time she ever saw General Jadeite…

Her eyes snapped open. No, it wouldn't do to be thinking about him. Even if his spirit had been revived, that man she had loved was dead, and he had been for a long time.

Minako appeared a moment later, depositing a large mug of tea in front of her face.

"Thank you," she muttered, not ever bothering to try to sound happy.

"So what else is it that's bothering you?" She said, even though she knew exactly what it was that was troubling the miko.

"It's not important," she said, staring at her mug.

Minako smacked her in the arm, spilling some of the tea into her lap.

"Mina!" she shouted, aiming her a half-hearted glare.

"You miss him, don't you?" she asked, almost sagely.

Rei's calm expression faltered.

"Look, I know that you loved him back then, probably more than any of us did," she admitted, wrapping her arm around Rei's shoulders and pulling her close. "We know that he's been revived; we'll find him, he'll get his memory back, and everything will be fine."

"I don't think it's that simple."

Minako blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"We're different people now; all of us are." Minako still looked confused. "There's no guarantee that we'll even like each other anymore, let alone love one another."

"Oh," Minako murmured, sounding upset. "Well, I think it will work out. Of course they'll still love us."

Rei sighed, fiddling with her hands as they wrapped around her mug. "I'm not a lovable person in this life."

Minako sighed, resting her head against her best friend's. "Of course you are," she murmured, hating to see her friend so insecure and vulnerable. "We all love you still, and you know you made it as hard as possible for us to."

Rei laughed lightly, and Minako grinned. She knew that she was thinking about her failed relationships with Mamoru and Yuichirou, but neither of those were her fault, and she was still on good terms with both of them. Hell, she lived with Yuichirou every weekend.

"Trust me, Rei," she said, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "You're not meant to be alone forever."

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, Mina."

They stayed like that for quite some time, until Minako's phone rang. She disentangled herself from the miko, slightly startled to find that she had fallen asleep. Typical Rei. She can go for days without falling asleep in her comfortable bed, but could pass out after just a few minutes of close physical contact. She nudged her, trying to wake her up without simultaneously causing her to spill her tea. Rei groaned, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes to try and wake herself up.

"Hi, Ami-chan!" she greeted cheerfully. Rei got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen, taking Minako's empty mug with her.

"Oh, sure! You sound really nervous," Rei heard her say into the phone.

"Yea. No, I'll be there in a few. What time do you get off?" Damn, she had been hoping to spend some time with Minako today. Despite living together and taking several classes together, she felt like they rarely had the time to talk.

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit! Bye, Ami-chan."

A moment later, Minako appeared in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go and help Ami-chan get ready for her date with Zoisite-whatever-his-name-is," she said, grinning from ear to ear. She sure did love getting people together.

"Okay," she said, forcing a smile that she knew Minako didn't buy.

"Will you be alright?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine, Mina," she said, pushing her shoulder. "Go on, get out of here. I'll call you if I find Kunzite again."

Minako grinned. "You'd better!" she called as she grabbed her bag and headed to the door. "See you later!"

Rei sighed as the door shut, then headed off to her room. She pulled her long hair back into a lose ponytail. She had too much on her mind right now; a quick jog around the neighborhood would surely clear her thoughts.

She hated having those visions; it was a burden to know what could or might happen. The nastier ones haunted her and kept her from sleeping. She was feeling quite exhausted. She'd barely slept the night before, remembering the images of her friends in trouble, of Usagi, with her stomach torn open by an enemy's attack, bleeding profusely. She shook her head, trying to clear the image away, but it persisted.

'It'll be alright,' she told herself. 'We'll keep her from the fighting.'

She groaned, finishing her stretches before heading down the apartment steps, trying to come up with ways to keep Usagi from fighting. If the girl was good at one thing, it certainly was getting what she wanted. If she truly wanted to be involved in a fight, then Rei had good reason to believe that it would be difficult to stop her.

She sighed again, turning the corner and starting to run.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Makoto sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly. Usually baking relaxed her, but she was still quite worried, despite the practical towers of treats surrounding her.

"I'd better get some business soon, or all of these are going to go to waste," she muttered to herself.

"You could always donate the extra to the homeless shelter or something," a familiar man's voice said from behind her. She jumped in surprise, whirling around to face her visitor. She hadn't heard the bell over the door chime.

"You came back?" she asked, incredulous.

His carefree smirk faltered. Stupidly, he held up the coupon. "You said I could, Kino-san" The smirk returned.

"Oh, I know," she said, trying not to blush at her minor outburst. "I just didn't think you would come back today, Kaneko-san."

"Well, I live around the corner. I was coming home from the gym and I saw you come back." Internally he winced. Why was he suddenly like a bumbling teenager when talking to her? Admitting to stalking was hardly the suave thing to do.

"Oh," she said simply.

An awkward moment of silence passed between them.

"So, listen," he said, trying to get his wits about him. He'd need to be at full strength to win this prize. "I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to grab dinner sometime. Maybe tonight, if your family emergency has been taken care of."

"Oh," she said, and he began to wonder if she knew any other words as a faint pink blush spread about her cheeks. "Well, that would be nice, I suppose."

She supposed? Damn, this was going to be a tough girl to land for sure. She might even take multiple dates.

"Sounds great. How about I pick you up here at seven?" he flashed a smile, turning up his charm as high as he could.

"Okay," she said, wondering why her voice sounded so hesitant. Even though he had the face of someone she thought had betrayed her, she knew that he didn't have any of those memories anymore. At least, not yet. She winced, wondering what this man would be like when he realized the transgressions of his body in another life.

Christ, her life was strange.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"I hate you."

The cold admission came with the accompanying smack of a pillow, which sent Jiro's bowl of curry flying to the floor. He whirled around, fixing his brother with his best glare, which had often been compared to the expression that a puppy wore after it was kicked. Hardly intimidating.

"What do you hate me for? You're the one who wanted another round," he said, leaning down to try and salvage his lunch. "Lightweight," he muttered under his breath.

"You're taking me out to lunch," Keitaro practically sneered, tugging a sweatshirt over his head. Despite his obvious hangover, he still managed to look amazingly put together. It was something Jiro had always been jealous of. No matter what, he always looked completely exhausted, especially after a long day of work, and just forget about the train wreck he looked like when he was hung over.

"Fine," he said, dropping the bowl back down to the floor. "You're cleaning that up."

He was barely surprised when his brother smacked him upside the head as they walked out the door.

A few hours later, once Keitaro's belly was sufficiently full, his mood was noticeably better. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the love charm from the night before.

"Here, you'll probably need this," he said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Jiro snatched it out of his hand, looking at it closely.

"This is supposed to bring me love?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he examined the trinket. It was quite small, made of a stiff fabric with a looping strap at the top. Elegant calligraphy signified that the charm's purpose was for cultivating long and healthy relationships. Delicately painted flowers lined the side. He flipped it over, noticing that the name of the shrine it was made at was inscribed at the bottom.

Hikawa Jinja.

"That pretty girl from the shrine said she made them," Keitaro said, almost nonchalantly, turning his gaze out the window in a lame attempt to hide his smirk.

"Again, virgins for life. Not ideal for my life plan."

He shrugged. "You know, not all of them are. I'll bet some of them are downright sluts."

Jiro kicked him underneath the table.

"Actually, we should probably go back there," he said, his tone growing a bit more serious. Jiro raised an eyebrow. "I feel like I should apologize for my slightly uncouth behavior."

Jiro laughed. "Slightly?" He sighed, grabbing his mug of tea and leaning back in his chair, staring out the window. Keitaro had certainly done a lot to cheer him up recently, but he still felt a bit hollow. He knew that his blowout with Miyako was a long time coming, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

All he had wanted was to have someone with him. It hadn't really occurred to him to look at the quality of person he was with.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he lied, earning him a disproving look from his brother. "I'm serious. I just wish I would have ended things a lot time ago. It's fine."

He still didn't look convinced, but he let it drop.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Ami sighed, flipping through patient charts at a rapid pace. She needed to get finished up so that she could at least make an attempt at looking presentable for Yoshikazu. She'd been busy enough all day to keep her mind off of things, but her shift was ending early, and they had planned on a late lunch.

It wasn't until she stopped looking at the charts that she noticed her hands were shaking.

She was nervous.

She hadn't been on a date in years, not since the last time Ryo had come to visit. They had dated for quite a while, but eventually the distance became too much of an obstacle.

Well, distance and the ever-loving monsters that seemed to crash all of their dates.

Finally she finished making notes on the charts, finishing her rounds for the afternoon. She was already getting lucky because they had cut her shift down to twenty four hours, as opposed to the typical forty-eight, and she didn't want to disappoint Yoshikazu by being late.

"There you are Ami-chan!" Minako stated, coming around a corner. "We're running late! We've still got to find you something to wear and get your makeup done!"

"Just don't go over the top with this, Mina-chan. We're not going anywhere fancy." She was already regretting asking for Minako's help.

"It doesn't matter! This is important. We've got to win them back!"

Ami shook her head. "Rei-chan was right. You really are losing it."

Minako just scoffed. "She's just mad because no one's seen Jadeite yet."

"Well, you do have to admit, it is strange that we saw the others almost immediately," Ami observed, gathering her belongings.

"She's been a little messed up from that vision, too. I don't think she slept last night."

Ami sighed. No matter how hard she tried, she was never able to understand the miko, particularly when it came to her visions. She hadn't asked many questions, and Rei certainly hadn't volunteered any information about her life. She knew that her mother had died when she was young and that her father had, for all intents and purposes, abandoned her. She knew that the death of her grandfather last year had been particularly hard on her. She knew that something had happened between her and Yuichirou, but they still seemed relatively comfortable around each other. And there was the complicated relationship between her and Minako. She knew that they weren't romantically involved, Usagi had asserted that much, but they had a certain physical relationship that made it seem like they were more than just friends.

She bit her tongue just before she started to form that question on her lips.

"Let's go," she said, forcing a smile. "We don't want to keep him waiting."

Minako broke into a full grin before grabbing her hand and dragging her away from the hospital.

Just thirty minutes later, Ami stood in front of the full length mirror in her apartment, admiring her appearance. Minako had done a good job. Her makeup was very subtly done, and it served to enhance her features nicely. She'd chosen a tasteful, deep eggplant top and a pair of dark jeans, which had a slimming effect on her while also showcasing her modest curves. She turned around and stared at Minako.

"You're a genius," she breathed. Minako simply grinned.

A knock sounded on her apartment door, and her nerves redoubled. "You're going to be fine," Minako soothed, patting her on the back gently. "I'll leave after you. I'll lock up!" Ami nodded dumbly, heading toward her door. She smoothed her clothes down one more time before pulling the door open.

Yoshikazu stood there, holding a single white rose, wearing a crisp, ice blue button down shirt and black pants. His smile faltered when he saw her.

"You look beautiful," he breathed, and she felt a dark blush staining her cheeks. He extended his hand to her, offering her the flower. She took it, twirling the stem around her fingers idly.

"Thank you," she murmured, trying to find her courage.

"Shall we?" he offered, extending his arm. She took it, smiling widely.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Mamoru paced around the room restlessly. Usagi had been released from the hospital with nothing more than a prescription for prenatal vitamins, but he still felt like he was on edge. She was pregnant, presumably with Chibiusa, and there was a new threat.

Those things had to be related. Someone from the future must have uncovered Chibiusa's birth date and came back in the past to stop her from being born.

But if that was true, why hadn't Setsuna warned them? She would know if someone had come back from the future to mess with the past.

Oh, nothing was making sense today.

"Mamo-chan, will you please just sit down? You're making me nervous," Usagi called from her position on the couch.

He obliged, coming to sit next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Still making me nervous," she choked out, and relinquished his hold on her slightly.

"I can't relax. Makoto-chan is going on a date with Nephrite tonight. Ami-chan is going out with Zoisite right now. I should be out looking for Kunzite and Jadeite, but I'm too paranoid to leave your side!" He wrung his hands nervously.

"Don't worry about trying to find them," she said, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly. "I think it's better if the girls find them anyway. We'll get them all together and then they'll get their memories back and everything will be alright."

"I hope you're right," he said, kissing the top of her head.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Her run hadn't been as relaxing as she'd hoped, so she settled herself on making some more charms, just to make sure that they were prepared for the following week. Yuichirou had been watching her worriedly all afternoon, and she felt guilty about it. She wished she could tell him her secret. It would make things so much easier between the two of them.

"You look exhausted," he observed, poking his head in the stall's window.

"I just have a lot on my mind," she said. At least that was only a half-lie.

Yuichirou chuckled. "You always have a lot on your mind. I'd be worried if your thoughts were empty." She smiled at that. "Come on, get out of there. You've been working too hard all day. Take a break."

She chewed her lip, thinking about his proposition. She knew he was right, she really should just relax. The problem with relaxing was that it gave her mind free reign to wander.

"Alright," she relented, standing up and wincing at the popping in her joints. "I need to do some sweeping, but after than I promise to relax."

Yuichirou sighed. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"And then I'll have to get supper ready, or you'll starve."

"No! No, I'll cook dinner," he said firmly. "You're ridiculous," he added.

She smiled, grabbed the broom and started the daunting task of sweeping the courtyard.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Makoto tried on her tenth outfit in as many minutes. Why was this so difficult? Yesterday, she was sure she never wanted to see him again, and now, she was running around like a frantic teenager, trying to find an outfit that made her look attractive without being slutty.

Damn her 'talents.'

She rifled through her closet, wondering how dressed up she should be for this evening, and finally settled on a simple black dress that stopped at her knees and gave enough overage of her breasts without making them look like balloons squashed down onto her chest. She grabbed a pair of red heels to give her outfit a bit of color and threw on a long silver necklace.

She stared at herself in the mirror, pleased with her outfit, before glaring at her hair. Usagi had told her at least fifty times to leave it down, because it made her look more feminine, but she hated the feel of it around her face. She had no idea how Rei and Minako put up with it all the time. She sighed; she _did_ look nice.

Like Minako always said, sometimes you have to suffer for beauty.

She walked into her living room, feeling confident in her appearance, and glanced at the clock.

It was only 4:30.

She groaned, flopping down onto the couch and searching for something interesting to watch on the television, wondering why she thought it would take her three hours to get ready anyway.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Thank you for spending time with me this afternoon, Ami-san," Yoshikazu said, his arm still curled around her waist. They had gone to lunch and then had a nice walk around the park. Ami had been pleased to discover that their personalities were still very similar, and obviously very compatible. Now they stood in front of her apartment door, wondering how to end this encounter.

"It was my pleasure," she said. "Thank you for lunch." She reached down to find her keys in her bag, feeling slightly disappointed when her hands closed on the metal so soon. She had half been hoping for another distraction.

She turned to him to bid him farewell, but her mouth went dry at the sight of him. His eyes were intense, watching her carefully. "I don't know what it is about you, Ami-san," he murmured, his arm around her waist tightening to pull her close to him. Her arms found their way around his neck, their embrace feeling so familiar yet foreign at the same time. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her, but he simply squeezed her tightly before releasing her.

"Talk to you soon," he said, smiling.

Same old Zoisite, too afraid to make a move.

She smiled back, giving him a small little wave before heading back into the safety of her apartment, wondering why it hurt so much that he hadn't kissed her.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako sighed, the noise filling up the empty apartment. Rei must have gone back to the temple after her run. Now she was bored. She'd called Makoto to see if she wanted to hang out before her date, but the girl turned her down, saying that she was already made up and would not be moving from her position on the couch until her date arrived.

She stared at the pile of books on the coffee table, deciding that she should try and work on some of her homework. She groaned. Rei always helped her with her homework, but this assignment was due in class tomorrow morning, and she didn't understand it. Smirking, and idea came to mind. She looked through the pile until she encountered Rei's biology notebook, digging through it until she found the completed homework assignment she was looking for.

She would get credit for her work and Rei would never know. It sounded like a win-win situation to her. She'd just have to keep quiet around Ami.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed from beside her, and she jumped, grabbing it quickly, wincing when Rei's name came up on the caller id.

She muttered something about 'damn psychic powers' before flipping the phone open to read the text.

"Need you at the shrine. NOW."

Minako was out the door in an instant.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Thanks for reading! A new chapter should be coming along soon. Take care, friends!


	4. Double Date

AN – Well, here's chapter four! It's cut off in a bit of a weird spot, but I think that this chapter was starting to get a bit long. Hopefully it's not too awkward. Thanks again for all of the hits, reviews, alerts, and favorites. You guys are amazing! I hope that you'll enjoy this next installment.

Warnings: The occasional bad words, awkwardness on the first date, and a tiny bit of blood. I promise; some action is coming soon!

.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Double Date_

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.0.o.0.o.0.

The sweeping hadn't taken nearly as long as she had thought it would, and over the course of the afternoon, several visitors had arrived at the shrine to pray. She had taken up refuge in the stall, selling charms and fortunes to a rather large group of schoolgirls who were worried about passing their upcoming exams starting the next day.

When she last saw Yuichirou, he had been talking with a young couple who was interested in getting married at the shrine. She didn't mind weddings that much, although they did tend to take a great deal of planning, and somehow she always managed to get stuck with the frantic bride, just hours before the ceremony, doubting her love for her would-be husband. She _did not_ enjoy having to tell them that their love was real and true and that it would stand the test of time.

She hated telling others to believe in true love when she so assuredly doubted it herself.

She groaned, wiping her hands across her face to try and ease her frustrations. This was all so ridiculous. Her entire life was probably some insane cosmic joke, or perhaps Ares was toying with her just to see how much more she could take. She sighed heavily, letting her face rest on her folded arms, blaming her temporary loss of sanity on her lack of sleep.

She stayed like that for a while, so long that she eventually heard Yuichirou speaking with a guest in the courtyard. She perked her ears up, wondering what it was that they were talking about, and recognized a familiar voice.

She snapped her head up and scanned the courtyard. There, once again, she saw Kunzite talking with Yuichirou and another person. Their bodies blocked the third person from view, but she could see their legs, and her heart pounded at the thought of who it might be. Quickly, she grabbed her phone, sending a hurried text message to Minako.

"Need you at the shrine. NOW."

She scrambled to her feet, quickly smoothing down her robes and her hair, hoping that she looked at least somewhat presentable. Her heart was hammering in her ears; she knew that once she was able to see the person standing behind Yuichirou she would either be elated or crushed. She didn't know which one she wanted to be.

She heard him before she saw him. His laugh. It was the same as she had always remembered.

She pretended to be heading into the main house, wondering if Yuichirou would stop her to ask a question. She half hoped that he would, and nearly prayed that he wouldn't. She didn't know what she could say. She glanced over at him, his golden blond hair glimmering in the sunlight. He looked taller than she remembered, but, then again, she was shorter. He wasn't as muscular as he once was, probably because he had grown up in a normal life, and not one where he had to fight for everything he had. She turned after just a moment, not wanting to get caught staring.

They'd found all of them. Now all she needed to do was get them all in the same place.

She sighed, trying to figure out a good way to accomplish that goal.

"Rei-san!" Yuichirou called from behind her.

Crap. She was never very good at improvising.

"Yes, Yuichirou-kun?" she asked, heading over to the trio. She was positive they could hear her heart pounding; it sounded so loud in her ears.

Kunzite bowed politely to her when she arrived. "I came back to apologize for my behavior yesterday evening, Rei-san."

"I appreciate that, but there's no need. You were no more obnoxious than other guests we have here on a daily basis," she said, noticing how her voice shook slightly.

He extended his hand. "Takata Keitaro," he said, introducing himself to her again He shook it. He gestured to his side, "This is my younger brother, Jiro."

She bowed politely, shaking his hand when he extended it toward her. She made to look up at him, so as not to seem rude, but she deliberately avoided looking into his eyes.

"Yuichirou-san told me a great deal about this shrine, but I'm afraid I do not recall most of it," he smiled charmingly. She still avoided looking up into Jade – Jiro's eyes. She wondered if he was staring at her. "I believe he said that it was your family's shrine?"

She smiled, slipping into her narrating role easily. "It is. My grandfather's family has taken care of this shrine for many years. It was intended for him to leave the shrine to me upon his death, but I was not old enough and trained well enough yet. But Yuichirou-kun was, and he was made High Priest in my stead." She smiled at Yuichirou's proud expression. "So in a way, you could say that it is _our_ shrine. I still help out with things, but it is unlikely that I will ever be High Priestess."

"I've heard that it is very difficult for the Council to recognize women as the High Priest anyways," Jiro said, speaking for the first time.

She nodded, looking down at her feet. "It is, especially when the shrine has a perfectly capable Priest. They usually only grant that in light of a marriage."

"That does seem a bit unfair," Keitaro agreed.

"It is what it is," she said, her voice dropping a bit. "I suppose it is all for the best, ultimately."

Yuichirou patted a hand on her shoulder. "You could always marry me instead," he joked.

Rei resisted the urge to smack him. "Aren't you supposed to be making dinner?"

"I know, I know," he mumbled, extending his hand to Keitaro once again. "It was nice to see you two again. We seem to be getting fewer and fewer visitors who aren't tourists around here." He shook Jiro's hand as well. "You're welcome back here anytime."

They both bowed politely, and Yuichirou disappeared back into the house.

"So tell me, Rei-san," Keitaro said, drawing her attention back to her guests. "What does a part-time priestess do with the rest of her life?"

She sighed, not wanting to divulge into her personal life, but wanting to stall until Minako got here to see Kunzite.

"I go to school at Tokyo University," she answered, and Keitaro grinned.

"So do I," he said. "Well, sort of. I'm a doctorate student in Greek mythology."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? I think my roommate was toying around with studying mythology in general She wound up settling on music."

"She might have taken one of my classes. They make me teach to pay my tuition," he grumbled, then threw his arm around Jiro. "Then you have this guy, who teaches willingly! And six year olds at that!"

"Seriously?" she asked, her shock clearly showing on her features. The Jadeite she knew would never willingly set foot in a room full of children.

"He's just jealous because he doesn't love his job as much as I do," he said, smirking slightly. "I just started though. I was at Waseda until I graduated last year. It's definitely been a trial by fire." He laughed at that.

Kami, he still had an effect on her. His voice was warm, his tone more relaxed, but his laugh was the same. It had that strange quality that made her want to laugh along. Past memories blurred with her present encounter, and mentally scolded herself before clearing her head.

"So what are you studying?" Keitaro asked her, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Literature and creative writing," she answered automatically, feeling a faint blush rise up on her cheeks. People often teased her for going into that field, saying that she would never be able to make a career out of it.

"Oh, wow," Jiro said, looking at her in awe. "I tried to do that at first, but I wasn't good enough. Not enough prose and character development and all of that stuff."

She smiled at him, looking up and meeting his eyes for the first time. Her breath hitched in her throat.

She could still read everything in his eyes. Hurt, loneliness, happiness, love, everything swam together under their blue surface. She hoped he couldn't still see through her.

"Your eyes are a very unusual color," he observed, and Keitaro cleared his throat. Rei at least had the decency to blush.

"Thank you?" she murmured, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Anyway, we should probably get going," the elder brother said. "I just wanted to come by and apologize for my behavior. And to thank you for that love charm. I think it will work wonders."

"Have you already found the woman you love?" she questioned, genuinely concerned.

Jiro laughed outright.

"Him? He's been dreaming about the same girl since he was five years old. I'm pretty sure she's not even real!"

Keitaro snarled. "Yes, the charm was for my helpless little brother, who lets a woman walk all over him whenever she pleases."

"Geeze, oniisan. That was a little uncalled for," Jiro said, sounding quite hurt.

Keitaro at least looked a little embarrassed. "Perhaps it was." Jiro rolled his eyes, knowing that was a close to an apology as he would get.

"Anyway, thank you, Rei-san," he said, reaching forward to take her hand, squeezing it gently. "I hope to see you again."

Her heart leapt into her chest. All she could do was nod.

"Yes," Keitaro said, shaking her hand as well. "We'll have to drop by again sometime soon. I'll definitely have to come by if that charm fails to work."

She laughed lightly, trying to keep from panicking. Minako needed to get here. She'd know exactly what to do to get them to come back. As if a gift from above, she heard footsteps scrambling up the steps.

"Rei!" Minako shouted, and she felt relief flood through her body. "You'd better have a good reason for making me run all the way over here."

Keitaro and Jiro turned to look at the steps behind him, and Keitaro completely froze.

"Aphrodite," he whispered under his breath, barely audible.

"What?" Jiro gaped, staring at his brother. "_That's_ your Aphrodite?" He whipped his head around, looking at her again. "Who is that?"

"My roommate," she answered sheepishly, mildly distraught as she noticed how both men were openly staring at her.

Minako fidgeted, not expecting all the attention, and her heart started pounding at the sight of Kunzite once again. He looked at her the same way he did in the Silver Millennium, with unguarded lust and passion in his eyes.

It thrilled her.

"Erm, hi there," she said, slowly approaching the men. She extended her hand out to Jadeite first. "Aino Minako," she supplied.

Jadeite shook her hand, staring at her intently. "I'm Jiro," he said, his voice sounding very guarded.

She turned toward Kunzite, offering him her hand as well, but he continued to stare at her dumbly.

Jiro rolled his eyes. "This is my brother, Keitaro," he said, smacking his brother a bit hard on the shoulder to snap him out of his stupor.

Keitaro jumped, grabbing her hand suddenly and shaking it gently. "Yes, my name is Keitaro," he said, regaining his composure almost immediately. "I'm sorry; it's just that you remind me of a dream I had before. Of Aphrodite."

Minako blushed profusely. "Well," she said, flashing a bright smile. "It's not every day a girl gets compared to the Goddess of Love."

She candidly winked at Rei, who simply rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I don't mean to be so forward with you, but would you mind joining me for dinner?" Keitaro asked, rather abruptly. He'd be damned if he'd let this goddess slip through his fingers now that he'd seen her.

"Oh, well that could be fun," she said. Jiro rolled his eyes, looking back to make a comment to Rei, and found himself looking at her back as she headed back toward the house. He sighed; that seemed strange. He made his decision in an instant, and left his love struck brother to follow her.

"Hey, Rei-san," he called, and she stopped, turning around to look at him as though she were surprised.

"Yes, Takata-san?" she said, an odd sounding tone in her voice.

"Are you alright?"

Her heart melted. "Oh, yes," she said, trying to sound collected. "I just wanted to make sure that Yuichirou-kun didn't need any help with dinner."

"Rei, come back over here," Minako sweetly commanded, and the miko grumbled under her breath. Jiro resisted the urge to laugh. Reluctantly, she headed back over to the conversing pair.

"Yes, Mina?" she asked, trying to sound as unaffected as possible.

"Well, Keitaro-san here has just asked me out on a date, but I don't think I want to break our rule just yet," she said, giving Rei a pointed look.

"Well, I suppose it is up to you," she said, trying to sound nonchalant and hoping that Minako would reveal her plan to her sometime soon.

"You have a rule?" Keitaro asked, clearly puzzled.

"Yes; you see, I've dated some weirdoes in the past. So many so that Rei has gotten very protective over me when I go on dates."

Rei felt her blood boil a bit.

"So I made a little rule to make things easier on her. I don't go out on a date unless she can go too!"

She really wanted to slap her.

"Minako, don't be ridiculous. That was when we were kids," she said, trying to alleviate the situation. Right now she was looking like the mildly psychotic overprotective dateless best friend.

Minako visibly deflated, and Rei realized how she was letting her pride get in the way of her plan.

"I know, why don't the two of you stay for dinner here? I'm sure Yuichirou wouldn't mind the company, and it'll give you a chance to get to know one another better."

Minako broke into a huge smile, and Keitaro and Jiro both nodded.

"But, you have to help me cook," she said, glaring at Minako, before turning back into the house.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"What are we doing here?" Jiro asked, looking at his brother intently. "So this girl looks like the one from your dream; what's the big deal?"

"Stop being an idiot. Besides, you get a free date out of this," he pointed out, turning to glare at his brother from where they sat on the couch in the family room, waiting as the girls finished dinner. "And I told you she was pretty. Are you really so hung up on Miyako that you're ignoring all of that?"

"Yes, a date with a pretty shrine maiden who's bound to be a virgin for life. Not ideal for that whole family I wanted one day," he said, sitting glumly.

"I hardly think she's bound by that rule," he said. "I mean, she's not evening aiming to be a priestess, so what makes you think she has some crazy vow of chastity?"

"Oh, I don't know, because of the way my love life always goes?" he said, and Keitaro wanted to slap him for being so ridiculous.

"Well, don't be an ass to her, at least," he warned. "She seems quite nice."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako had effectively scared Yuichirou out of the kitchen. Rei almost felt guilty, but it would probably be easier to get through this evening without him feeling like a fifth wheel.

He could be rather needy at times.

He had gone off to meet with some friends instead, he'd said, apologizing profusely to Rei for leaving him with the kitchen disaster known as Aino Minako.

"Rei," Minako asked, grabbing something off of the stove before turning around. "Do you think he'll still be in love with me?"

She sighed, pausing in her chopping of the vegetables for a split second. "I don't know," she said quietly.

"Hey," she said, catching the tone in her voice. "I thought you'd be happy to see Jadeite again."

"I am. Or I was. I don't know."

Minako furrowed her brow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Mina," she said, sounding frustrated. "You saw the way he looked at you. The way everyone looks at you."

Minako smacked her firmly on the back of the head. "Stop being an idiot," she said. "Don't go wallowing in self-pity just because some boy _looked_ at me in a certain way."

Rei groaned in frustration, setting the knife down on the cutting board. "I know; I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'm just worried about everything."

Minako wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug. "I know," she said. "It's going to be alright."

.0.o.0.o.0.

"I'm getting really hungry," Jiro said, glancing in the direction of the kitchen.

"Minako-san said it would just be a few more minutes," Keitaro replied.

Suddenly, they heard a crash from the kitchen, followed by a string of rather unladylike curses.

Jiro got their first, and almost laughed at the scene in front of him. Rei was splayed out on the floor, water spilled all down the front of her robes. Minako had apparently knocked over a glass bowl filled with vegetables, sending it shattering to the floor, covering both of them with freshly chopped greenery.

It all looked pretty hilarious, until he noticed the blood and the grimace on Rei's face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling next to her immediately. Minako was hovering around, frantically apologizing. He inspected her foot and ankle, wincing as he saw a few pieces of glass stuck into it. "Where's your bathroom?" he asked, and she gestured to the hallway behind her.

In one motion, he put his arms around her, pulling her up into a standing position while keeping her weight off of her injured foot. He was surprised at how light and small she felt against him; she seemed much bigger in her robes. He guided her into the bathroom, setting her down on the toilet seat before examining her foot again.

"I can take care of it," she said, leaning over to push his hands out of the way.

He swatted her hands away. "Relax. I work with six year olds, remember? I see stuff like this at least once a week."

She managed a small smile.

"Alright, this is going to sting a bit," he said, standing up to grab a washcloth and soaking it with warm water. He sat back down, starting to work on cleaning her foot by pulling out one of the larger pieces of glass. She winced, taking in a sharp breath of air.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, continuing to clean her up. After a few moments, he was done, and he had the washcloth wrapped around her foot.

"Do you have any bandages?" he asked, and she turned slightly, opening the cabinet above the toilet and pulling out a basket that had a wide variety of bandages. He smiled, bandaging her foot up and then standing to wash his hands and clean the washcloth.

"Thank you," she murmured, suddenly feeling bashful.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, offering her his hand to stand up. She shook her head. She gingerly put weight on her bandaged foot, and he was pleased to see that it did not appear to hurt her too badly.

He offered her his arm, and she took it, leading her back into the kitchen.

He didn't understand the dopey smile that tugged at his lips.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako let a few more curses slip out of her mouth as Jiro led Rei out of the room, despite the fact that Keitaro was watching her intently.

"What happened?" he asked, surveying the scene in the kitchen.

"I'm a clumsy idiot," she murmured, heat staining her cheeks as she knelt down to pick up the ruined food.

He chuckled. That same, low, dry, sexy, infuriating chuckle.

Damn it.

He knelt down, starting to pick up the discarded pieces of glass.

"You don't have to do that," she said, looking up at him finally.

"It's the least I can do," he said, studying her intently. "Your friend was nice enough to invite us into her home and feed us."

Minako scoffed. "It's a shrine. She does that all the time."

"Really?" he asked from the doorway, sounding genuinely surprised.

She bit her lip. "Well, her grandfather did all the time, at least. He was a nice man, always taking in strays."

The room dropped into silence for a bit as they both focused on cleaning up the mess.

"You two seem very close," he observed after a moment. "Almost like sisters."

Minako sighed in exasperation. "Thank you for not saying lesbians."

Keitaro blinked, a particularly interesting image forming itself in his mind. "You're welcome?"

She blanched. Boy, did she have a nasty case of foot-in-mouth tonight. "I'm sorry," she murmured, hoping she wouldn't scare him off. "Lots of people say that, though. Even our friends. It's just because Rei doesn't date a lot and I spend a lot of time over here."

He smiled warmly. "I think that it's nice that you have someone who is that close to you."

"The two of you seem close," she observed, wondering why they had skipped small talk entirely and delved into more personal matters right off the bat.

"We are," he said. "It was just us and our mom. We took care of each other." He stood up, wetting a paper towel and rubbing it along the floor to pick up and more loose pieces of glass. "She died a few years ago."

Minako stared at the now clean floor. "I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat. "What about your parents?"

"Oh," she said, wondering if it was appropriate to describe her mother as a dragon lady to someone who had already lost theirs. She knew Rei hated it when she did. "Well, my dad works at one of the local television stations as a programmer. He's pretty great. My mom is a homemaker, but she gets bored a lot and goes off on vacation all the time. She's somewhere tropical right now."

He smiled, offering a hand to help her stand up.

"Oh, wow," Jiro said from the doorway, his arm linked with Rei's. "You guys got everything cleaned up already."

"Thank you," Rei said, looking at Keitaro, before moving away from Jiro to evaluate the situation in the refrigerator. She had, after all, promised them a meal.

Keitaro stuck his arm out, holding the door firmly closed. Both women shot him a confused look.

"I insist on taking you ladies out for a dinner. It wouldn't be fair to make you cook an entire meal again."

Jiro nodded from behind him. Rei felt another blush creeping up her neck. Minako had stars in her eyes and a stupid grin on her face.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Jiro sighed, stretching out his legs. A few minutes ago, the women had disappeared down a different hallway, with Minako asking at least six times that he could hear if her foot was all right. He smiled, thinking about the miko.

She certainly was pretty, and very different looking from another of the other girls he had dated. He usually went for tall blonds, more like Minako, but there was something about this girl that had drawn him in. He figured it was her eyes. Not only were they unusual in color, but he felt like he could read her after a simple look. She was very guarded, that much was obvious, and he found himself wanting to know what it was that had happened to make her look that way.

He'd never wanted to get to know a woman more.

He noticed his brother smirking at him out of the corner of his eye, no doubt mocking the stupid grin he knew he had on his face.

"Told you she was pretty," he said, smug tone all too evident in his voice.

"Shut up," he said, punching him in the arm.

A moment later, the girl reappeared. Rei had changed out of her robes into a dark purple top, one that almost perfectly matched the color of her eyes, and a pair of black jeans. Minako had clearly raided her friend's closet, for she was now wearing a simple pale orange dress with a sunny yellow cardigan.

Jiro's mouth went dry.

Underneath all of those robes there was a beautiful, fit woman.

"Shall we?" Keitaro said, standing up and offering his arm to Minako, who took it gleefully as he headed into the direction of the door.

Jiro waited patiently as Rei walked behind him, locking the doors that led to the main house and the kitchens, leaving the entry way and the meditation rooms available. She clicked off some of the main lights, leaving a few smaller lanterns on, before coming to join him.

He wanted to kiss her.

Where were these feelings coming from? A little more than twenty-four hours ago he would have sworn that he was destined to be with Miyako, yet he had become completely smitten with this new girl after just a few hours.

He hoped he wasn't rebounding.

He held the main door for her, following her outside after a moment. Keitaro and Minako were already headed down the steps, and he silently thanked his brother for giving him some more time alone with the intriguing girl.

"How is your foot feeling?" he asked, hesitant to reach for her hand.

"It's fine. Thank you again for helping me with it," she said, and he noticed how short she was, barely reaching up to his shoulder.

"So, when do you finish up school?" he asked, grasping for some sort of conversation to have with the girl.

"In a few months," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm really excited to be done."

"What are you going to do with your life after that?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, I was offered an internship with a publishing company reviewing books," she said, crinkling her nose slightly. "I know it's a good way to get my foot in the door, but I still don't know what I plan on doing with my life."

"It's hard to make life-changing decisions like that."

She smiled. "What made you go into teaching?" Her hand brushed his thigh as they walked, unintentionally.

"I just liked it, I guess. My mom was a teacher, and I always thought she was the greatest person alive," he said, his voice tightening. "I guess a part of me always wanted to be just like her."

She stayed quiet for a moment, guessing the admission that was coming.

"She died when I was sixteen. It was rough. It had always just been the three of us. Our dad wasn't really involved." She reached for his hand, twining her fingers in a way that felt both new and familiar.

"My mom died too, when I was five," she said, her voice shaking slightly. She always hated admitting that out loud. He squeezed her hand. "My dad didn't want a family at all, and he certainly didn't want one on his own, so I came to live with my ojii-san."

"At the shrine?" She nodded, wondering why she was so comfortable revealing this information to him.

He'll know everything soon anyway.

A quiet moment passed between them. Up ahead, Minako laughed loudly at something Keitaro said.

"What do you like to write about?" he asked

She blushed. "It's really stupid."

He scoffed, stopping suddenly so that it jerked her arm slightly. "It's not," he affirmed, fixing her with a stern look.

"It's a lot of fantasy stuff. Historical romances, other things like that." He smiled widely.

"You should write a children's book," he said, resuming walking once again. They had almost caught up with Minako and Keitaro, and Rei could clearly make out some of their conversation.

"Maybe," she said, shivering slightly in the chilly spring air. He relinquished her hand, opting to wrap his arm around her loosely.

_.o.o.o._

_It had been her first visit to Earth. She had been reluctant to leave the warm deserts of her home planet for this strange land. She had heard stories from the other children, tales of enormous, oppressive stone buildings and itching green plants. It had also been her first trip off planet, save for when she and the other children were taken to Phobos and Deimos to learn about the history of their planet._

_It was incredibly intimidating._

_They arrived at the portal, located inside the regal compound, which was simply a mass of purple and gold tents surrounded by a palisade wall. The people of Mars were still quite nomadic, and no one really saw the importance of building tall, lasting palaces when they would eventually move on. Food and water could be hard to find. They had to follow it._

_Her father gripped her small hand in hers. She looked up at him, nervously. They were both dressed in their finest tunics, dyed a deep purple with gold stitching along the edges. The fabric felt stiff and uncomfortable, and she shifted in a way that most seven year olds would, despite her regal title._

"_Don't be nervous, Himochi," he said, squeezing her hand gently. He muttered a complicated sounding spell, something in the old language, and the portal began to glow. Without a glance back, he pulled her small form through the glass behind him._

_The first thing she noticed was that it was _bright_. She had never seen so much sunlight on Mars; not even in the middle of the day. She squinted her eyes and shivered slightly. Despite the brightness, the air was cold. Her father tugged her along once again._

"_Kasei-heika, Kasei-hime," a tall, blond man greeted them. She instantly felt afraid of him. Even at her young age, she had become very good at reading auras, and this man was ruthless. He was the type of person who would stop at nothing to get what he deserved._

_They both bowed automatically, and she felt more than underdressed as she took in his elaborate gowns and cloak. For the first time in her life, she truly felt underprivileged._

"_This way," he said, turning walking around them and heading in the opposite direction. Her breath caught in her throat. Just in front of them was the tallest structure she had ever seen. Huge, grey bricks were stacked one upon the other, creating a colossal tower. She felt like a dwarf, staring up at it with shocked eyes._

_He led them through a corridor, surrounding them with thick stone walls. She felt immediately oppressed. It was unusual for her to not be able to easily see the sky. The air around her pressed in on her, still and cold._

_She wondered how people lived like this._

_Finally, they entered the throne room, and the man that had welcomed them settled into his throne with ease. She looked around, taking in the large, spacious, and practically empty hall._

"_Where did all of the animals go that used to live here?" she asked. Her father blanched in horror, twisting her arm in a way that didn't truly hurt her, but reminded her of her place._

_Instead, the golden man just laughed brightly, gesturing to a dark haired woman. "Bring our guests some water, dorei."_

_Dorei? She had never heard that word before. She looked up at her father questioningly, but he simply shook his head. The woman approached them after a moment, carrying two solid gold goblets filled with water. She nearly dropped it, its weight unfamiliar in her hand._

"_I take it Kasei-hime has never been away from your war-torn lands, Ares," he said, chuckling lightly. Her father released her hand._

"_We have not been war-torn in many years, your grace," he said, his tone terse._

"_Do you know how to fight, Himochi-hime?" he asked, smiling gently. Idly, she wondered how he knew her name._

_She nodded, a bit enthusiastically._

_The golden man laughed. "Barely seven years old, and I'll bet she could best me in an archery match. Hardly the characteristics of a peaceful land."_

"_You are a bit too bold, your grace. I should not like to have to inform the king of your transgressions."_

_He simply waved a hand._

"_Himochi-hime," he said, staring directly at her. "Do you know why you are here?"_

_She shook her head._

"_You are here to meet with my son, the prince of the Far Eastern Realm. One day the two of you will wed, and you will come to live here with us." She swallowed, heavily. She didn't like this place, not at all. "That will finally assure peace between the Earth and Mars."_

"_You see me as an insurance policy?" she asked, and the golden man laughed._

"_So smart and witty already," he said, chuckling still. He gestured to a young man who had been standing to his side that she had previously not noticed. "This is my son, Lord Jadeite."_

_The boy bowed politely. She met his gaze, noticing that his blue eyes were kind. She shivered again, wondering if all of Earth was as cold as this place._

_Wordlessly, the young prince stepped down from his dais, removing the cloak from around his shoulders and placing it on hers._

_She stared at him, surprised. He offered her a small smile before rejoining his father._

_.o.o.o._

"Are you alright?" Jiro was asking. They'd stopped again. She shook her head, clearing the memory out of her head.

"I'm sorry; I guess I just got lost in thought," she said, feeling rather sheepish.

"Good thoughts?" he asked, as they started moving again.

"Complicated ones," she said, internally wincing at how stupid that sounded in her own ears.

Ahead of them, Minako and Keitaro turned into a small restaurant, on that Rei recognized as one of Minako's favorites. They sat in a small booth, and Rei noticed immediately how Minako seemed to see indecently close to Keitaro.

Jiro leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Has she had dreams of him her whole life too?"

She laughed lightly. "You have no idea."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Thanks for reading! You guys rock. I try to respond to all of my reviews, so if I haven't gotten to you yet, just know that I think you're awesome! Thanks for all of the reviews, story alerts, and favorites. I really appreciate it! =)


	5. Imminence

AN – Woohoo! Chapter 5! I can't believe how quickly this story is coming along. I might need to put it on hold soon, though, because I'm getting dangerously close to revealing some spoilers for _Esprit d'Incendie_, which I don't want to do. Anyway, thank you all so much for all of the reviews, story alters, and favorites for this story! I really wouldn't stay motivated without them.

Also, a quick shout-out to all of my fellow southerners in the wake of these crazy storms. Keep all of those people who have lost loved ones and their homes in your thoughts!

Warnings: I think there's some bad language, a little make out session, and some panic attacks. Awesome.

.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Imminence_

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.0.o.0.o.0.

Norio had pulled out all the stops for this woman.

He'd worn his finest suit, the one he'd sworn he would save for an obscenely special occasion, due to its obscenely high price. He'd taken her to the fanciest restaurant he knew of, and reserved a private table just for them. He'd even sprung for the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, the clichéd delight found in every girl's dream date.

So why did she still seem so hesitant around him?

"Makoto-san," he said, reaching across the table to caress her hand. She pulled it away almost immediately, looking up at him, startled.

"I'm sorry," she said, bringing her hand back up to the table, allowing him to clasp it. "You just remind me so much of someone. I don't exactly have fond memories of him."

Damn. She was going to be hard to ensnare indeed.

But then again, he had never backed down from a challenge.

"Well then, if you think I am as unsavory as him, you should ask me some questions."

She smiled lightly at that.

"Have you ever done anything illegal?" He blinked at that.

"Alright, so I have a bunch of speeding tickets. And there's a DUI that I'm not completely proud of. But other than that, no." A slow smile spread on his lips. "What about you?"

She blanched.

"Now, now. I was honest. It's your turn," he cooed, trying to uncover her secrets.

"I beat a bunch of kids up in school. And a guy who looked at me funny in a bar. I don't let people push me around."

"Mm, feisty," he observed, smirking slightly. "I like women who can stand up for themselves."

Her cheeks reddened instantly, and he laughed.

Eventually, she smiled and laughed too.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako sighed as Keitaro pressed her up against the wall, his lips grazing along her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, fingers playing in his silvering hair. Everything had become a blur on their way home. Jiro had asked to see the shrine's grounds, and they had stayed behind. As soon as they were out of sight she was pressing her body against him, pulling him closer, and kissing him as though her life depended on it.

She wondered if it did.

She hadn't expected to feel this much.

"Minako-san," he breathed against her skin, before claiming her lips once more. "I don't usually act like this."

"I don't either," she murmured, kissing him again, hating that her statement was a half-lie.

His hands slid down to her lower back, pulling her closer, and she lifted her leg to wrap it around his, eliminating the remaining space between them.

She really was a piece of work.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"This is beautiful," Jiro murmured, looking at the koi pond with a certain sense of awe. She couldn't help but smile.

"My mother built it," she said, her voice a half whisper. "It's my favorite place."

"Thank you for showing me this," he said, kneeling down to run his fingers along the glass-like surface of the water. She watched, amused at him. He was gentler than she remembered, but quite a bit sadder. He was very different, but so similar.

She wasn't sure that was a bad thing.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Ami sighed, reading through her latest case study. Her mind kept drifting back to her lunch date with Zoisite. No. Yoshikazu. Kazu.

He was so much like she remembered, and she loved him still. It almost seemed ridiculous; she'd never believed in soul mates.

She groaned, scrubbing her eyes with the heels of her hand. In reality, they had just met. He didn't know anything about her, and she barely knew anything about him.

It still didn't change how much she wanted him to kiss her. How much it had hurt when he didn't.

Her phone rang, signifying a text message, snapping her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it, hoping that it wasn't related to a new threat. She blinked at the unfamiliar number.

"Had a great time today. I'll call you tomorrow. –Kazu"

She smiled, wondering what she should say back.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Thank you for walking me home," she said, playing with her fingers nervously as they stood outside her apartment door.

Part of her really wanted him to kiss her. She didn't know if she liked that.

"It's not a problem, Makoto-san," he said, flirting with a dazzling smile.

A light clicked on in her head. "How many women have you taken home with you, Norio-san?" she asked, wondering if this would throw him off his game.

Success.

He paled, his eyes growing wide. He turned his head away from her, resembling a school boy who had gotten caught cheating by his teacher. Inwardly, she smiled. Still a womanizer.

"I'm not sure," he said, his voice sounding defeated.

She smirked, reaching a hand up to pat his shoulder comfortingly. Part of her wanted to turn and slam the door in his face, but she knew she was technically on a mission.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Come by the bakery for lunch tomorrow?"

The smile lit up his entire face.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Keitaro was working the hem of Minako's borrowed dress up her thigh when Jiro returned from the koi pond. He stood, shock still for a moment, watching the scene with rapt interest. When was the last time he had gotten kissed like that? It sure as hell hadn't been from Miyako. He shook his head, snapping himself back to the present.

"Christ, Keitaro," he said, using his loud, commanding, 'teacher voice.' "This is a shrine, you know."

They broke apart immediately, and Minako wore an incredibly guilty expression. Keitaro just looked mildly annoyed.

A moment later, Rei rounded the corner. She took in Minako's appearance in front of her and narrowed her eyes.

"You have no restraint," she said, her voice tense and lacking in emotion.

Minako simply flashed a brilliant smile before glancing back at Keitaro.

"Well, I think we should be heading out," Jiro said, clearing his throat slightly. He turned to Rei, bowing slightly. "It was very nice to meet you, Rei-san."

She nodded, smiling softly.

Keitaro sighed. "Good point. You distracted me from grading those papers I was supposed to finish yesterday." Jiro rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath.

Keitaro smiled at Minako, leaning down to kiss her quickly on the lips, causing the girl to blush immensely. "I'll call you," he whispered, before turning to head down the shrine steps. Jiro grumbled something as he followed behind him, turning around just before he reached the steps to wave to the girls.

Once they were gone, Minako turned to Rei, grabbing her shoulders and grinning widely.

"He still loves me," she breathed, stars in her eyes. Rei fixed her with a stern glare.

"You just met him," she pointed out, heading back toward the house.

"He's dreamed of me his entire life," she said, linking her arms with Rei's and following her.

"We didn't bring them back so you could make out with him whenever you want," she retorted, her tone acidic.

Minako frowned. "Why are you being so grumpy?"

Rei sighed, feeling the fatigue from earlier in the day returning. "We're going to ruin their lives as they know it when they get their memories back. Don't you remember how hard that was? To suddenly remember yourself as a whole other person?"

Minako sighed. "Damn you for being such a realist."

Rei smiled, somewhat sadly, and Minako wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"Come on," she said, pulling her in the direction of her bedroom. "You look exhausted."

.0.o.0.o.0.

Ami sighed, rubbing her temples before glancing up at the clock. Mondays were awful to begin with; even more so when her shift started at two o'clock in the morning. She groaned as she glanced at the clock.

It was only eight thirty.

She had about half an hour before she needed to go on rounds again, and she welcomed the break. She still hadn't had any time to eat breakfast. She glared at her pager, as if daring one of her patients to need immediate medical attention.

She flopped down onto a couch in the doctor's lounge, welcoming the feeling of something soft underneath her. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she found herself waking to the sight of bright green eyes and Kazu's amused voice.

"Don't you need to be on rounds, soon?" he teased, handing her a cup of coffee.

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, suddenly grateful for the quick catnap.

"Almost nine; that's when I've got to be to oncology'" he said, smiling.

"I can't wait to have a job with normal hours," she sighed, pushing herself into a standing position. "I thought we weren't supposed to have to do all of this until after we finished medical school."

"You're done in a year or so anyway, you prodigy," he said, taking a sip of his own beverage. Her stomach growled uncomfortably loudly. Blushing, she dug through her pockets until she found some change. She padded over to the vending machine, selecting a small box of cereal. She'd have to eat it quickly in order to make her rounds.

"Just don't forget to rest, Ami-san," he said, squeezing her shoulder gently.

She smiled softly, nodding her head in agreement.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako groaned as the first rays of sunlight landed on her face. Her arm subconsciously tightened around the warm figure curled next to her. She squeezed an eye open, glancing at the mass of black hair that had settled itself on her shoulder.

She hated when Rei had nervous breakdowns, and last night had been awful.

It had been a long time since she had seen her like that. The pressure of the visions she had been having coupled with her lack of sleep had certainly taken its toll on her. Add to that her worry about the Shittenou and everything that could happen when they restored their memories.

They had been watching a movie while she had scrambled to finish her homework when it started. She had noticed the subtle twisting of Rei's fingers and the slight increase in her breathing, but she hadn't paid any attention to them. She'd missed when her hands started to shake. She hadn't noticed that anything was wrong until Rei stood up suddenly, pacing around the room.

It had all come out then; the worry, the panic, the fear. She had done her best to try and calm her down, but she knew she wasn't successful. She'd sat on the floor with her for nearly an hour, holding the sobbing girl close to her and silently wishing that Yuichirou was there.

He always knew how to take care of her. Jadeite had always known how to take care of her. She probably should know, too.

She groaned, hating having slept in a sitting position all night, but she hadn't wanted to chance waking the girl up after she'd finally fallen asleep. Her joints felt stiff, and she was cold. She wanted to move, but wasn't sure she could do so without waking her. Rei was clearly stressed; she needed all the rest she could get.

She barely moved, just extended her leg outward to stretch it, when Rei snapped awake. She stared at Minako for a moment, confused, before realization dawned on her features.

"I am so, so sorry," she whispered, her voice rough from crying.

Minako just shook her head. "It's alright, Rei," she said, moving to stand up. Her joints popped noisily, and Rei's face took on a guilty expression.

"If you say you're sorry again, I'm going to slap you," she threatened as the miko opened her mouth. She smiled, satisfied, when her mouth snapped back closed. She extended a hand, pulling the other girl up. "Do you remember much?" she asked, and Rei shook her head. It wasn't often that she remembered her 'episodes,' and Minako had always wondered if the short burst of memory loss were more dangerous than they seemed.

"No," she said flatly. "But I had a vision in my sleep."

"What happened in it?"

Rei sighed, moving toward the kitchen. "We're going to be attacked soon."

Minako bit her lip. "How soon?"

Rei sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know when," she clarified. "I just know that it's very, very soon."

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Are you sure you don't have to work today?" Usagi called from the kitchen as she scrambled some eggs for breakfast.

"No," Mamoru called from their bedroom. "I'm over on hours for this pay period because of all that overtime from last week," he explained.

She smiled, excited for a whole day with her husband. It had been quite a while since they both had been free. She had been spending a lot of time helping Makoto with the bakery and working at the local day care part time. She wasn't even completely sure of when she'd gotten pregnant; they hadn't been intimate for some time.

She jumped as warm arms encircled her waist and lips caressed her cheek. Smiling, she relaxed against Mamoru's chest.

"I love you," he murmured, hands ghosting over her still flat stomach.

She turned in his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Makoto sighed, pulling the burnt pastries out of the oven. From behind her, she could hear Norio's laughter.

"You could come in here and help, you know," she said, not bothering to hide the anger in her voice. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway, watching her skeptically.

"Men don't bake," he said firmly, not even flinching when she tossed an apron in the direction of his face.

He ducked as soon a she hurled a mixing bowl in his direction.

"Please, Norio-san," she said, her tone slightly pleading. "I need to be ready for the lunch rush."

He nearly scoffed, but stopped himself when he saw her narrowed eyes.

Why was he still wasting his time with this woman? There was certainly something special about her, but he just couldn't place his finger on it.

Reluctantly, he tied the apron around his waist and picked the mixing bowl up off the floor.

.0.o.0.o.0.

"Are you sure she's all right?" Mamoru asked, and Usagi raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you want me to come over?"

She frowned at the concerned look on her face. She stood up from the couch, wandering into the kitchen to find something to drink. She had seen that Minako had called him, and she knew it had to be something about Rei. She sighed, wondering what it was that had happened. Maybe another rough vision.

She started the kettle boiling and leaned back against the counter, watching it. She still couldn't help the bit of jealousy that came up when anything involving the pair was mentioned. She blamed it on the guilt that she felt over destroying their relationship, however unintentionally. They had loved each other, deeply, and she knew that their love had transitioned into a familial love.

She had made Minako confirm that much.

It still didn't change the jealousy that she felt when she saw Mamoru's face crumple in worry when he heard that she was sick or had her visions. It didn't change the hurt she had felt when she came home the day Rei's grandfather had died to find him holding her against him in their bed. It didn't change the anger that she still felt when Makoto told her about him kissing her when they were broken up.

It didn't change anything, but she knew it should. She knew in her heart that Rei would rather die than betray her.

She was being ridiculous.

A moment later, the kettle whistled, and Mamoru came into the kitchen. Smiling, he reached for her hands, pushing her back against the counter and preparing the tea for her.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, as soon as his back was turned to her.

He sighed, heavily. "Rei is freaking out," he said, sounding strained. "She had another vision, and she thinks were going to be attacked soon."

"I want to fight, Mamo-chan," she said, surprised at how strong her voice sounded.

He turned to face her, stern expression on her face. "No."

She pouted, unintentionally. "I can't just stand by and not do anything."

He sighed, bringing a hand up to caress her cheek. "Usako, I know it will be hard for you. But, we know the future doesn't happen without you and Chibiusa. Just let us protect you for now."

She nuzzled her face into his hand, letting her eyes slip closed. "I can't promise you anything," she said, and he simply nodded, not wanting to start the argument with her. He sipped his tea, quietly, wondering what the new threat could possibly want with Earth. It certainly seemed like Chibiusa was the target, as the signs of the new threat appeared just hours before they found out about her birth.

He shuddered. He was really tired of people who were out to harm his family.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako had slept through their entire class. Rei had nudged her awake a number of time, but she always fell straight back to sleep. The miko blanched when her friend began to moan Keitaro's name in her sleep, kicking her roughly in the shins to disrupt the dream.

Finally, after two hours of lecture about biology, the class was finished. She mentally scolded herself once again for not taking the required class when she was a freshman; Minako had talked her out of it. She shook the blond roughly, fully waking her up, much to the amusement of some of their exiting classmates.

Minako yawned widely, stretching her arms, before surveying the lecture hall to find it empty.

"Oops," she muttered, leaning forward to gather her things back into her bag. "Can I borrow your notes?" She smiled sweetly.

Rei wanted to smack her upside the head, but she couldn't bring herself to. She had a nagging feeling about today. Everything just felt off. She felt…afraid. Afraid that she, or someone she cared about, would not make it through the day.

The vision last night had been stronger. She still saw Usagi, hunched over as blood poured out of her torn midsection, but she had also seen Minako, a similar wound in her shoulder. There had been so much blood, so much violence that she felt as though she were choking. She hadn't realized that she'd gotten so lost in her thoughts until Minako nudged her shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concern in her eyes.

She wanted to lie. She wanted to tell her that everything was fine, that they were all going to be okay. She wanted to ignore the dread building inside her and pretend that everything was alright.

But she couldn't.

She shook her head. Minako bit her lip, worriedly, and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

As soon as she'd touched her, the almost forgotten communicator in her bag went off.

.0.o.0.o.0.

Thanks for reading! Sorry this chapter is so short; I didn't want to get into the action yet because then it would have been absurdly long. Thank you for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I love you guys.


	6. First Blow

AN – Alright. I know I promised that I would work on _Esprit d'Incendie_ for a while before continuing work on this. But here's the thing – chapters 5 and 6 have disappeared off of my hard drive. So, eventually I will get around to rewriting them, but I figured I'd go ahead and post this next chapter first. So, _Esprit_ fans, there are minor spoilers in here that don't even look like spoilers. You were warned!

Also, I don't own Sailormoon. I just realized that I didn't have a disclaimer. Oops. I figured it was obvious.

Oh, and thanks for all the reviews, story alerts, author alerts, favorites, and emails! Y'all are the best.

Warnings: bad language, awkward moments, Rei being out of character around Jadeite, and surprise kisses.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Chapter 6: First Blow_

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

"Why couldn't you live somewhere with an elevator?" Rei grumbled as she helped Makoto hobble up the stairs.

"I'll have to keep the potential 'monster throwing a blast at my leg' scenario in mind when I get a new place," she said, adjusting her weight on her bruised foot.

"I still don't understand why your powers didn't heal that right up," she replied, a hint of worry in her voice. "Usually little things like that are fine by the time we detransform."

"Mamoru's crystal didn't help at all either," Makoto said, sighing with relief as they finally reached the sixth floor. "Thank you for walking me home, Rei-chan."

"Don't mention it," she said as Makoto pulled away from her to limp the rest of the way down the hallway. She froze when they rounded the corner leading to her unit, causing Rei to stumble into her, nearly sending the both of them toppling to the floor.

Peering around her, Rei was met with a rather surprised looking Nephrite.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said slowly, looking at Makoto curiously. "I was just stopping by to see if you were alright."

"What do you care?" Makoto snapped back, startling the man. Rei resisted the urge to laugh as Nephrite looked utterly scandalized.

"Um," he started, looking completely confused.

Makoto sighed, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "I'm sorry; I'm just really tired," she mumbled, sounding completely exhausted. "Come in; I'll make you some tea." She started walking toward the door again, wincing slightly as she put her full weight on her swollen foot.

Nephrite noticed.

"Are you alright, Makoto-san?" he asked, offering his hand out to her. She swatted it away. Nephrite looked up at her, searching for answers, but she merely shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm fine, Norio-kun," she said, fiddling with her key in the lock. "Just had a clumsy afternoon at the gym."

Norio. Right. That was his real name now, wasn't it?

"I thought you had a family emergency?" Rei nearly laughed; he may have a new name, but he was still as nosey as ever.

"I did, but it was fine, so I went to the gym before coming home," she said dismissively, pushing the door open and walking inside. Norio followed her, but Rei stood frozen in the hallway.

Was she supposed to go inside too? She sighed, halfway turned to leave when Makoto called her name.

Damn. This was going to be awkward.

"Norio-kun, this is Rei-chan," she said as soon as she'd entered. "She's one of my very best friends."

Norio smiled his brightest and extended his hand. "Kaneko Norio," he greeted. Idly, she thought she had heard that name somewhere before.

"Hino Rei," she replied, taking his hand. She moved to pull it away, but he held firm, staring at her, with his mouth almost gaping.

"What?" she asked, looking around frantically for Makoto, only to find that she had disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hino as in Hino Takashi?" he asked. Internally, she groaned.

"Sort of," she mumbled, finally pulling her hand out of his.

"Is he your father?" he asked. Yes. Definitely nosey.

"Yes," she said, deciding not to divulge too much information to this man. She'd already done that enough with Jiro.

"Well you're not a troll," he mumbled.

The shock must have registered on her face, because he immediately looked chastised. "Excuse me?" she asked, trying to keep her temper in check. She had other things to be concerned with than Norio's apparent lack of manners.

"I'm sorry! It's just a bit of a joke I've had in my head," he said, blushing profusely. She raised an eyebrow. "See, your father said that I would be a good match for you, and I was just thinking about how no one ever sees you, and so I decided that you must be some horrid looking troll that he keeps hidden away." He hung his head, ashamed.

She bit her lip, knowing that her father did think something along those lines. She was blight for his political career, at least. "We're not very close," she said, careful to keep her tone even. "I'm not really into politics." At least only half of that statement was a lie.

"I'm sorry," he said again, sounding sincere, and she simply shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she said, pushing the memories that he had unintentionally brought up back down where they belonged. "Perhaps you could tell me why my father is so fantastic?"

His face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Your father _is_ such a great man!" he exclaimed. It took a lot of effort for Rei to hide her disdain and resist rolling her eyes. "I started my own publishing company and we were about to go under, but he helped us out financially. We're responsible for providing campaign materials for him for the next ten years, but I think that was worth it."

"You do realize that he's taking advantage of you on that deal, don't you?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"I still get to keep my company. It was worth everything to me."

She nodded, choosing not to pursue the subject any farther. "I'm studying literature and was considering getting into publishing. What was the name of your company?"

"Sekaikan," he said, smiling proudly.

She felt all of the color drain from her face. _That_ was where she had seen his name before. On her job offer, right where it said 'owner.' Working for Nephrite? In a company financed by her father? That was no doubt contractually bound to do his bidding? That sounded positively disastrous.

"I know, you're making that face because of all that bad press we got this morning, but Hino-san is helping me take care of that as we speak! We have a press conference tomorrow and everything."

She managed to fake a smile, grateful to see that Makoto had returned with the tea. "Sorry there aren't any snacks. They're all down in the bakery."

"It's fine," Norio said, reaching for his cup and pouring some sugar into it. "I wasn't on planning for staying long; I was just concerned. You ran off so quickly."

"I'm sorry," she said, sounding genuine. "That seems to happen with me a lot."

"Can't be good for business," he observed, sipping at his tea. "You should really look into hiring someone else to help you out."

"My friends come by from time to time, when they can," she said quietly. "I suppose you're right though. I just can't afford it right now."

"That's understandable," he said.

Rei stared at her tea, zoning out the rest of their conversation. The battle had certainly been an interesting one, and it was nothing like what she had been expecting. Based on her visions, and Mamoru's, she was expecting some big, catastrophic event that left someone mortally wounded. Not the simple fight with one monster, which only launched one attack, the one that hit Makoto in the ankle.

She sighed. The monster wasn't overly large or intimidating in appearance, it was about the size and structure of a normal human, but Rei could easily tell by the creature's aura that it was anything but human, and Ami had confirmed this on her computer. It had gathered up a number of people that were at the park, but hadn't actually harmed them. It kept rambling on about collecting life forces the entire time.

The whole situation had made her completely uneasy. Were her visions wrong? They never had been before.

So what really was coming? And why hadn't Makoto been able to heal herself like they always had?

"Anyway, thank you for the tea, Makoto-san," Norio was saying, snapping her out of her daze. "It was nice meeting you, Hino-san," he said as he turned to her, bowing politely.

Makoto stood, following him to the door and letting him out. Once he'd left, she leaned against the door, sighing heavily.

"You're thinking too much," she observed, and Rei managed a small smile in return. "You also look like you haven't slept since this whole thing got started."

Rei bit her lip. She was caught. She knew she'd 'slept' the nice before, but bouts of unconsciousness and memory loss from panic attacks that no one knew about could hardly count as suitable rest. "I guess I've had a lot on my mind."

"Like how you're going to interact with Jadeite? What's his name now again?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Jiro. And I'm not worried about that. He's sweet, though, polite and respectable."

"He always was though. That doesn't mean much. Nephrite's always going to be an arrogant womanizer," she said, laughing a bit.

"He's working hard to win you over though. Sounds like Zoisite's making way with Ami-chan, too," she said, her tone turning wistful. "And it's not like Kunzite even has to try with Mina-chan. Although I do find it interesting that he's dreamt of her his entire life."

Makoto was quite for a moment before pushing herself off of the door and coming back to sit by Rei.

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" she asked, sounding concerned. Rei had her suspicions about what she was referring to, but decided to play dumb for a moment.

"What bothers me?"

"That Jiro didn't show any interested in wanting to be with you."

Damn. 'Get out of my head, Mako,' she thought, fruitlessly.

"That's not the point of bringing them back," she said, using the same strategy she had thrown at Minako.

"That doesn't mean it doesn't bother you," the brunette pointed out, and Rei sighed.

"Does it bother me that he wasn't immediately attracted to me like the rest of them were with all of you? Yes. Should it bother me? No," she said. "We have more important things to worry about anyway, Mako-chan."

"I know, I know," she said, waving her hands in the air defensively. "I'm sorry for prying. I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me about it if you need to." She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her eyes drifting to her teacup once more.

"I know you well enough to know that even though you say you don't need a man doesn't mean you don't want one," she said, winking slightly.

Rei laughed humorlessly. "Given my track record in the dating department, he's probably smart to stay away,"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "You can't count Mamoru-san, you know," she said, and Rei sighed. "Although I am trusting that you aren't occasionally making out with him when no one's paying attention anymore?"

Rei shot her a dark glare. "That was one time."

Makoto backpedaled. "I know that; I was just teasing. Although that one was a bit cruel, I'll admit."

Rei scoffed, and then her face softened. She looked at Makoto strangely, and then shook her head.

"What?" the brunette asked, wondering what it was that had caused such a strange look to come across her friend's face.

"It was twice," she said quietly, not meeting her gaze.

Makoto sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore," she said, dismissing the incident at seeing how uncomfortable Rei was with the topic. Rei simply nodded, sipping at the last of her tea before placing the cup back on the table.

"Thank you, Mako-chan," she said, smiling warmly at her friend.

"So now that we've found all of them, when do you think it'll be time to wake them up?"

Rei sighed, wondering if Makoto was just as psychic as her; she seemed to be reading her every thought this afternoon. "Probably soon," she said, twisting her fingers nervously. "Especially now that we've seen a new enemy. There's no telling how quickly things will escalate from here."

Makoto nodded, a strange look passing over her face. "Let's hope they take it better than we did."

She found it impossible to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat as she remembered the night she had regained all of her memories. Unlike the rest of the Senshi, she remembered everything, every detail. It had messed with her immensely; it had left her devastated for weeks. She could feel that they didn't have weeks to wait until the Shittenou recovered. They might not even have days.

Deep in her heart, she wondered if bringing them back at all had been a colossal mistake.

Minako hummed to herself as she roamed the halls of the building that housed the history department at Tokyo University. She had stalked Keitaro earlier, learning the location of his on-campus office, and decided to pay him a visit.

She knew she was getting in too deep, Rei had told her as much, but she still wanted to see where this relationship could go. That was, until they ruined it by showing him his entire past life. She wondered if they would get the memories from when the demons had inhabited their bodies.

She hoped not. That would severely impede their healing process.

Finally, she reached a door labeled "Takata, K." and smiled gleefully. She hoped that Keitaro's constant dreaming of her was a sign that he perhaps remembered their time together during the Silver Millennium. He had been the leader of the Shittenou; things would be easier for them if he were more accepting of his past memories.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the frame of the door. He looked up at her, startled, before his face relaxed into an easy smile.

She did like that this Kunzite smiled more, and more easily.

"Minako-san," he greeted, gesturing towards a chair. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She smiled brightly. "I just had some free time to kill before my music class, and I figured I'd stop by." Her eyes scanned the room quickly, taking in the various images of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses that lined the walls. Thick books were arranged neatly on the shelves. Even his desk was meticulously organized. Internally she chuckled; he and Rei would get along fantastically.

"That's very kind of you," he murmured, looking at her intensely. "I considering stalking your class schedule to position myself outside of your next class, but I hadn't gotten around to it."

A hot blush stained her cheeks, but she quickly regained her composure. "Tell me more about these dreams you've had of me. Er, of Aphrodite."

Keitaro studied her intensely for a moment. "Oh, it's definitely been you. Even your voice is the same." A very faint blush stained his cheeks. "I'm sorry; it's probably creepy and sometimes this makes me feel like a pedophile."

Minako scoffed. "I'm twenty-two. You're in the safe zone."

Keitaro shook his head. "I know Jiro told you I've been having these dreams since I was very young. When I first started having them, you were just a child. It's almost like you grew up with me, but I started having them before you were ever born, apparently."

Minako couldn't stop the smile that teased at her lips. He had to be dreaming of their memories. He just had to be. "Tell me about your favorite one," she said.

Keitaro took a deep breath, eyeing her intently. "I really don't want to scare you off. I've been thinking that I'm absolutely crazy since I met you. That my obsession has finally thrown me off the deep end and that I'm completely imagining things. Or that Jiro is playing a very elaborate prank on me."

Minako shook her head, biting her lip to stop herself from admitting that she'd had dreams about him too. "It's alright," she soothed. "I don't think your crazy."

His wary eyes never left her face, and he sighed. "My favorite dream?" he said, running a hand through his silvering hair. "There is one that I particularly enjoy. We were at some sort of ball in a palace on Venus. I remember being intimidated because I was just a mortal from Earth, and I was in the presence of gods. You were meeting with someone, someone with dark hair, and then you came to me and asked me for a dance. I think we danced for hours, and I told you that I loved you. You took me out on a terrace and sat with me and we talked for hours. Afterwards, we…" his voice trailed off, and he blushed deeply.

Minako smiled. She remembered that night. It was the first night he had declared his love for her. She had been angry with him for something, she couldn't remember what, just that she had spent the first part of the evening speaking with Rei about how she could not stand the "foolish Earthen warlord," before Rei told her to stop being an idiot and dance with him like she wanted to.

She remembered that ball well, and she especially remembered what had happened afterward. It hadn't been the first time they'd lain together, but it had been a very special evening, indeed.

"Do you believe in soul mates, Keitaro-kun?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Like maybe, that you were in love with someone in a past life, and you always seek them out wherever you are?"

An unreadable expression passed through his eyes, one that even she could not decipher. "You're starting to sound like Jiro," he said, keeping his tone guarded.

"I believe in soul mates," she said, pushing her point through. "Maybe we knew each other before. Maybe we were soul mates then. Maybe that's why you've dreamed of me, and I've dreamed of you."

His eyes widened at her admission, and he relaxed a bit into his chair.

"Yes," he said carefully. "Perhaps I do believe in soul mates."

Rei pulled the apron off with a satisfied sigh. She hadn't intended to spend her entire afternoon baking, but she knew Makoto needed the help.

"Thank you, Rei-chan," the taller girl said, smiling widely. "I really owe you for this."

Rei shook her head. "Consider it payback for all those hours I made you work at the shrine."

Makoto laughed. "You at least paid me for that! I can't even afford that right now," she said, her tone a bit forlorn.

Rei chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I still want to give you a loan," she said, eyeing Makoto intensely. Between her mother's trust fund and her inheritance from her grandfather, she was not hurting in the financial department. She had it all saved away, never using more than she needed. At one point she had convinced herself that it was for the nice family she hoped to have one day, but that goal seemed so very far away now.

Makoto shook her head. "I don't want to owe you money. I hate owing people money."

Rei rolled her eyes. "You don't have to owe me, Mako-chan. It could be a gift."

Makoto practically growled. "You can't just give someone that much money, Rei-chan. We're not all from privileged families like yours where we can just toss money around all the time!"

"Since privileged apparently means abandonment you should consider yourself lucky," she muttered darkly, and Makoto immediately sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rei-chan," she said, tossing an arm around her shoulders loosely. "That wasn't fair. I know you're just trying to help. I just – "

"Don't like to take handouts," she finished. "I know, Mako-chan. I know."

"I really do appreciate you coming over and helping so much though," she said, trying to diffuse the tension that seemed to settle itself in the air. "You're a real lifesaver."

Rei smiled softly before turning to leave. "You know, Kaneko-san is going to offer sometime soon, too. Probably as soon as he gets his memories back."

Makoto sighed. "I know," she murmured.

Rei waved as she left the small bakery, hoping that she hadn't pushed Makoto too far. She knew that the girl was in a heap of financial trouble, and she wished that she would just take the help she was so frequently offered. Still, Makoto always was a bit stubborn.

'Who are you kidding,' she thought. 'You'd be too stubborn to take it either.'

She stifled a yawn as she walked down the street, contemplating skipping her evening class. She was practically on the other side of the city and it would take her over an hour to get to school by bus. She sighed. Minako would never let her live it down if she found out. Plus they were supposed to be getting their creative writing assignments back tonight.

'Fine,' she grumbled to herself, making her decision. Hopefully by exhausting herself further she'd get a good night's sleep. She looked down to rifle through her bag, making sure she had thought ahead to grab her supplies when she'd left that morning. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her computer and composition notebook.

Then, she ran smack into someone, loosing her balance and barely catching herself on a lamppost before careening to the floor.

"Oh, shit," a familiar man's voice said, and she cursed her luck. "I'm so sorry, miss; I should have been looking where I was going," he said as he scrambled to pick up his own papers. Finally, he looked up at her, blue eyes sparking with recognition. "Rei-san?"

"Hello again, Takata-san," she said, standing back up straight and smoothing her clothes and hair back down. "I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going either."

He smiled brightly. "Don't worry about it. It's always the gentleman's fault, remember? And my name is Jiro," he teased.

She smiled a bit at that. "It was nice running into you again, Jiro-san," she said, and he rolled his eyes. "I have a class in about an hour and a half, so I should get going."

He looked at her skeptically. "Are you taking the bus?"

She nodded, and he winced.

"It'll take you an hour and a half to get there from here," he said, and she nodded.

"That's why I really should get going. I'm sorry," she said, starting to walk away from him.

"I could give you a ride," he offered, and she pretended not to notice the slight desperation in his voice. "We could go get some coffee, or some tea while you wait. If you want, of course." His nervous eyes betrayed the confident smile playing on his lips, and she found herself intrigued by him.

"That could be nice," she conceded, smiling softly. "Thank you."

Five minutes later found them sitting outside at a fairly quiet café, watching the sunset in the distance. Jiro was flipping through some spelling tests, and she sat, slightly in awe, wondering how it was that he could decipher some of those symbols into letters.

"Do you like working with kids all day long?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He nodded enthusiastically. "It's amazing. Kids aren't like adults, they say what they feel, what's on their mind. There's no bullshit or false pretenses or lies. They are who they are, and they don't apologize for it." His eyes took on a wistful look. "It's a shame we can't all stay like that forever."

She made a small sound in agreement. "Thank you for offering me a ride," she said, watching the sun sink behind the skyline.

He smiled, taking a moment to look at her while she wasn't paying attention. There was definitely something familiar about this girl. Something warm, and comforting. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Deep down, he was worried that he was only taking an interest in her to put his feelings for Miyako to rest. He shook his head to clear those thoughts away.

He was _not_ that kind of person.

"It's not a problem," he answered. "I was going to go and pick up Keitaro anyway. He's letting me use his car since I work so far away from his apartment."

She nodded, her eyes still distant. His curiosity was piqued.

"What are you thinking about?"

She snapped her gaze to him, looking slightly shocked that he would ask such a question, and he immediately felt reproached.

"You just looked really thoughtful. I know it's impolite to pry though."

She chewed her lip, debating whether or not to be honest with him. It would be easier to lie, but she knew her past was bound to come out sooner or later.

"I was just thinking about love," she said, her tone slightly wistful. "Or lack of love. I don't know."

"Had your heart broken recently?" he asked, his tone genuinely caring.

Her expression faltered, surprised by his blunt question. "Well, not recently, I suppose."

"Does it get easier?" he asked, his voice sounding very small. She remembered Keitaro alluding to some disastrous love in Jiro's life, and she wondered if the hurt was still fresh.

"I think it depends on how deeply you loved the person," she said quietly, and he laughed humorlessly.

"That's the thing. I'm starting to doubt that I was even in love. But I'm pretty sure I'm heartbroken."

She bit her lip, watching him carefully. So, Jiro was carrying some emotional baggage. Part of her felt relieved; if he was recently heartbroken, then that would explain his apparent lack of interest in pursuing her. Another part of her felt ashamed for even considering taking joy out of someone else's suffering.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, reaching across the table a loosely placing her hand on top of his. "I know we don't know each other very well, but sometimes that's when it's easiest to open up. People come to the shrine to do it all the time."

"You'll judge me," he said quietly. "Look, I like you. I think you're a sweet girl, and I want to get to know you better. Especially since your best friend and my brother will presumably be sleeping together in the near future, if not already." He laughed lightly at that. "No offense to Minako-san, of course, but I know my brother lacks restraint."

Rei laughed as well. "As does Mina. This will certainly get interesting, don't you think?"

He nodded, idly twining his fingers with hers. "I know we're going to be seeing more of each other, but I don't think I'm ready to talk about that with you. You're almost a complete stranger now, but you won't be in the future. At least, I hope you won't be."

She smiled softly, taking her gaze away from him and settling it on the table in front of them. "I was in love once," she admitted quietly. "Twice, actually. The first time was when I was fourteen, when I should have been too young to know what love was. I had been dating this man who was quite a bit older than me, and I'm not completely sure when it happened, but we fell in love." She swallowed heavily, chewing on the inside of her cheek, wondering if it was a mistake to have brought this all up in the first place.

"Things changed after a while. He still loved me, I could tell as much, but we were growing distant. He believe in soul mates and destiny, and I suppose I did too then, but he wound up falling in love with someone else, and we both knew that they were _supposed_ to be together, so I ended things." Jiro's hand wrapped around hers tightly, squeezing it in reassurance. "It was hard for a long time, because we still loved one another even though she was his soul mate. It hurt for a long time; it still hurts, because she was one of my very best friends, and still is; they are both very important to me."

She felt the annoying pinprick of tears behind her eyes, but managed to keep them at bay. "But eventually things get easier," she said, her voice growing steadier. "You miss them less each day. Maybe you fall in love with someone else. But when it's real love, I think that never completely fades away, even if you drift apart. It's always in there, somewhere."

Jiro sighed, stroking his fingers along the underside of her palm. "I don't think I was even in love like that," he admitted, his eyes growing distant. "I think I just wanted a companion, and she was available. I doubt she even really loved me in return. She wouldn't have cheated if she did."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, and he cursed under his breath.

"I really don't want anyone to know about that. It's bad enough that Keitaro knows."

She shook her head. "Don't be ashamed," she said, her voice strong. "The truth is that we're all broken, every single one of us. The only difference is that some people admit it and some people hide it away."

"I suppose you're right," he said.

She sighed, watching the last bits of the sun disappeared behind the buildings.

"You said you were in love twice," he said quietly, almost shyly. "What happened the second time?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, looking slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry; I suppose I'm being nosey."

"The second time I thought I was in love with my best friend," she said. "I'm not talking about Mina," she clarified at his raised eyebrow, barely covering an exasperated sigh. "It was Yuichirou," she said without thinking, and Jiro's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"And he said you could marry him! How sweet," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Yuichirou came to the shrine almost seven years ago. We had gotten very close to one another during that time. It's almost impossible not to, when you live and work together."

Jiro nodded, encouraging her to go on. "I think, over time, we started to develop feelings for one another, but because we were young and we hardly had any boundaries between us, we never really thought to classify those feelings. He used to ask me out all the time, and I always said no, because I was still trying to get over the other guy. Eventually, I said yes, and we dated for a while. Something always felt off though, and we ultimately decided that we were better off as friends."

"You love him as a brother, right?" he asked, and she nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's the best way to put it."

A thoughtful expression crossed his features. "Do you have any real brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head. "My father wasn't a real family man. I've heard my mother had to beg for years just to get one."

"That's nice that you still have people like that in your life though. I don't know what I would do without Keitaro sometimes," he said, laughing slightly.

His laughter stopped abruptly as his eyes focused on something behind her.

"Oh, shit," he murmured. She turned to look and see what had gotten him so flustered. "Don't turn around," he said, his voice tight.

His hand gripped hers a little tighter, and he leaned forward in his chair. "Miyako is behind you," he whispered, his tone guarded. He brought his free hand up to gently push some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"Forgive me," he murmured.

Before she realized what was happening, he pressed his lips to hers.

Apparently, he _was_ that kind of person.

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the lack of action. I had a whole battle sequence in there, and it sucked. A big one is coming soon though, I promise! Please leave a review! I love hearing what y'all have to say.


	7. Ramifications

AN – Ouch. Just noticed the disastrous formatting in the last chapter. Sorry about that, friends. It didn't show up like that on the preview. I'll get that fixed sometime soon to it's easier to follow. Here's chapter seven! I can't believe how quickly this story is coming out. Based on the reviews and emails, I can tell there's a little bit of confusion about some things, namely the origin of Rei's panic attacks. This is much, much better explained in _Esprit d'Incendie_, but those chapters are not posted yet (hanging out somewhere in the depths of my old hard drive), so I've touched on it a tiny, tiny bit in this chapter and it will be elaborated on in the next chapter. Sorry about that!

I think that I am going to put _Esprit_ on hold until I finish this story; I don't know. I want to work on both of them at the same time, but that might be biting off a tiny bit more than I can chew. We'll see what happens; I'll keep you posted!

Thanks again for all of the reviews, emails, story alerts, and favorites. I love seeing them in my inbox every morning. Y'all are awesome!

Warnings: Bad language, awkwardness that supposed to be awkward but my writing makes it even more awkward, blood and guts, crazy bitches, dirty thoughts, and sex references. Bring it.

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

**Fighting Gravity**

_Chapter 7: Ramifications_

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

"_Just because I have to marry you doesn't mean I have to like you," she snapped, pulling her hand away from the young prince's. "Stop pretending that I mean something to you. We both know that I don't. I'm an ill thought out means to an end."_

_Jadeite looked positively wounded, and for a moment, Himochi wondered if she was being too harsh. "You know that's not true," he retorted, following closely behind her as she stormed out of his study, ripping off some of the traditional Earthen garb as she did so._

"_Your people hate me," she said, tears thinly disguised in her voice. "They hate all of us. They don't understand. They think Mars is a completely backwards planet, that we don't have any sophistication, that we're idiotic barbarians!"_

_He caught up to her finally, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her back around. "Is that what all of this is about?" he asked, searching her eyes for his answer. She was only eleven years old, six years his junior, but she'd always shown a level of maturity and understanding that far outlasted her years. He knew what she had on her plate, single-handedly trusted with fixing relations between her planet and Earth, when neither one was willing to give an inch._

_There, he saw it. The barest glimmer of despair in her eyes. True to her Martian nature, she was an expert at concealing her emotions, and it was only after four years of constant contact with her to be able to read her._

_He smoothed a stray piece of hair from her face, cupping her face gently. "Then we'll have to work to change that, Himochi. And I will change that. I'll be king one day," he said, and she scoffed._

"_Only if your father keeps killing everyone who opposes him," she said bitterly, catching the sad look in his eyes. "They won't accept you, Jadeite."_

"_I'm doing my best to earn their trust. You know they see my father and I as two different people."_

_She shook her head. "You don't know that. They'll have a foreigner king and an alien queen. They'll never accept it."_

_He shook his head vehemently, cupping her face in both his hands. "I need you to believe in me," he pleaded. "You may think this is just an arrangement between kings, and maybe that's true. But I care for you, Himochi. I care what happens to you and I want you to care for me."_

_Something shifted in her visage then, and for a moment he thought he saw the faintest glimmer of affection in her eyes. "Jadeite," she said softly, reaching up to clasp his wrist. He took his free hand and pulled the pin holding her hair in place loose, letting it free from the confines of its earthen style, sending it cascading around her face in soft waves._

"_I believe in you," she said quietly, and he smiled so sincerely that she felt it spreading to her own lips. He bent down and pressed his lips to her in a simple, chaste kiss._

"_I won't disappoint you."_

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

He didn't meet her wide eyes when he pulled away, but he murmured a hushed apology under his breath.

"Someone seems awfully hypocritical, Jiro-kun," a snide voice commented, and she whipped her head around to look at the woman in front of her.

She was awfully pretty, tall with shimmering dark blond hair and deep chestnut eyes. She subconsciously bit her lip, wondering if this was the type of woman that he truly found attractive. If so, she was way out of her league, with Jiro anyway. She wore a simple blue sundress that hung onto her every elegant curve, and Rei found herself suddenly disgusted by her own, boyish angles.

"Perhaps, except that I waited until a relationship was over before diving in with someone else," Jiro replied, barely contained anger in his voice. She'd heard that voice before. It was the same one he favored on the battlefield. A chill ran down her spine at hearing that tone once again.

"I didn't realize you were into plain little girls," she snapped back, and Rei felt her anger reach a boiling point. Jiro stood up abruptly, knocking his chair out from underneath him.

"Don't you dare say anything about her," he said, his tone dangerous. "You don't know anything about her." She felt a slight bit of gratitude at his defensiveness of her, even if he had started this whole situation by kissing her.

Miyako turned her angry gaze down at her, and she suddenly felt very small, despite the fact that she _was_ Sailor Mars. "I hope you're prepared to deal with a little boy with severe emotional issues. He really is like a child."

"I think you should leave, please," she said, slightly surprised at the tremor she heard in her voice. She was Sailor Mars, damn it, and this woman had insulted her. She needed to be put in her place.

The blonde's eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a decisive sneer. "I'll leave when I choose to," she muttered darkly, moving closer to both Rei and the table. A split second later, she kicked at the table leg, sending her tea careening into her lap. Luckily, she was wearing jeans, and the liquid did little more than shock her and caused her to jump from her chair.

She clenched her fist, full with the intention of giving the other woman a piece of her mind.

"Stop it," Jiro said suddenly, grabbing at her shoulder to pull her away from Miyako, standing in front of her defensively. "Just get out of here, Miyako," he said. "You fucked this up. Stop making things worse and just move on." He sounded tired.

For once, the blond looked chastised. "Jiro-kun," she said, her voice sounding like she was on the edge of tears. "We've had our problems before and we've always worked through them."

She could see the tension in his jaw, the clinched fist that hung by his side. "Not this time, Miyako," he said, his tone dark. "We can talk about this later, but not now."

With that, he turned on his heel and left, leaving both women stunned behind him. Miyako gave her a very strange look before turning and leaving also.

Numbly, Rei sat back down in her chair, wondering what in the hell it was that had just happened. Why had he kissed her? Why had she defended him? Why did she have the feeling that she easily would have attacked her if he hadn't stepped in? She let her head fall to the table, sighing heavily.

This entire afternoon was playing well into her theory that her life was one big cosmic joke. Thoughtlessly, she groped for the napkins on the table, blotting unsuccessfully at her jeans.

Fantastic. Jiro had apparently left, leaving her with no way to get to her class on time, and she would get to ride the cross city bus looking like she had just peed her pants.

Fantastic.

A moment later, a hand squeezed her shoulder gently, and she heard the sound of someone sitting next to her. She heard them sigh, but she made no move to acknowledge their presence. It was perfectly justified; she needed her moment to gloat.

"I shouldn't have done that," Jiro admitted quietly, and all she could do was scoff. "I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking, that's the whole problem."

Finally, she raised her head, looking at him curiously.

"I'm not that kind of person. I'm _not_," he said, sounding as though he were trying to make himself believe it. "I don't just use people like that. I really don't know what I was thinking. And then she was rude to you. Christ, Rei-san, I'm so sorry. And right after I said I wanted to get to know you better."

He looked absolutely devastated, to say the least, and even though his unintentional kiss had stirred up a maelstrom of emotions that she wasn't prepared to deal with, she decided to be lenient with him.

"It's alright, Jiro-san," she said, offering him a small smile. "You did ask for forgiveness before you even did anything," she teased, hoping to lighten the mood. He smiled back, genuinely, and her heart seemed to flutter in her chest. A thought crossed her mind suddenly.

She _loved_ him. Still.

'No, no, no,' she thought, trampling that thought before it could lodge itself in her brain. 'You love who you think he is. You don't know him. You don't.'

"I guess we should get going," he said after a moment, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled between them. "I'll take you home first so you can change."

She smiled, really smiled at that, and took his offered hand as he led her out of the café.

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

"You know, you really should take my medical advice. I am a doctor after all."

Ami jolted awake, focusing blurry blue eyes on the intruder. She was met with a very amused looking Yoshikazu, and she turned her pretty features into a scowl.

"I was trying to, but it seems like you're more interested in waking me up," she said, blaming the irritation in her voice on her lack of sleep and the long shift she had been working. Yoshikazu at least had the decency to blush as he stammered out an apology.

"I suppose that means you wouldn't be interested in joining me for a quick, romantic dinner in the cafeteria this evening?" he asked, as charming as ever.

Without thinking, she rolled her eyes. Minako would have teased her relentlessly if she had seen. "Only if you promise not to wake me up in the morning for coffee."

He stuck out his hand. Timidly, she shook it. "Deal," he said, smiling brightly before pulling her up from her chair and dragging her along with him.

"Do you think they have us eat what the patients eat?" Ami asked, wrinkling her nose as she poked at the amorphous blob on her plate that had been labeled as porgy.

Yoshikazu had a similar expression on his face. "I should certainly hope not. They pay to eat this stuff!" He groaned. "Remind me that this place is not a good second date choice."

She laughed at that, and looked up to see him smiling as well. "Given the circumstances, I think it was an adequate choice." Internally, she winced; suddenly wishing she had taken Minako up on her offered 'flirting lessons.' All of her awkward moments would certainly give Zoisite a good laugh or two once he regained his memory, at least.

"So you're putting all of these internship hours in," he observed, and she paused in her prodding of her food. "Do you intend to go into surgery?"

She sank back in her chair, shrugging a bit. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I'm only in my first year of medical school, so I'm still trying to pick a specialty. I wanted to do pediatrics for a long time, but there's just something interesting about oncology."

"And you'll need to be a surgeon to work fully in oncology," he said, completing her thought. "Well, better you than me. I get too grossed out in surgery. That's why I'm just research now."

Ami bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back a smile as she remembered Zoisite nearly fainting after seeing a rather large wound on Mars' leg, one that Kunzite had given her during training. Nephrite had teased him for days, sending the European king to his rooms to hide until the embarrassment passed over.

"You look thoughtful," he commented after finally taking a bite of his food. "You know, this actually isn't too bad, despite how gruesome it looks."

Tentatively, she took a bit, pleased to see that he was correct. "I suppose when the food is free they don't spend much time on presentation."

He laughed then, and they ate in relative silence, occasionally asking about the other's day between bites of food. Ultimately, Ami's pager went off, causing her to almost swear under her breath.

Yoshikazu raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in intern land?"

Ami wrinkled her nose, recognizing the familiar code. She stuffed the last few bites of her food in a rather unladylike manner, and he almost laughed outright at her. "Bed pan duty," she grumbled, taking a sip from her water.

"Ah, the good old days of literally cleaning up everyone else's shit," he said, eyes sparkling with mirth.

She raised a thin eyebrow, mildly surprised at his crude language; that had always been Nephrite's specialty. She stood from her spot, leaned down, and kissed his cheek quickly, stunned by her own boldness.

"Next time you should take me to a real dinner."

She barely hid the grin from her face as she walked away. 'Take that, Mina-chan,' she thought proudly.

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

"Thank you," she said, for at least the twelfth time on their trip home. Jiro shook his head, nearly rolling his eyes at her as he followed her into the apartment. He stopped behind her, eyebrows raised in shock. She turned around to offer him a seat on the couch and noticed his strange expression.

"What?" she asked, wondering if Minako had left her yogurt out again to curdle on the coffee table before she got home. She did a quick survey of the living area, noticing that the coffee table was clear save for a few artfully arranged magazines, and the throw pillows on the couch and chair were exactly where she had left them. She hadn't dusted in a while, so perhaps there was a rather large dust bunny that she couldn't see? Artemis _did_ like to collect all of that stuff and put it in inappropriate places, but the cats hadn't been around for a while.

"It's _clean_," he said, sounding absolutely shocked.

Annoyed, she let her hands fall to her hips. "Are you trying to suggest that I _shouldn't_ have a clean apartment?"

His face immediately shifted, and he stammered out an apology. "I guess I should apologize to oniisan now."

Her expression softened, growing curious. "Why is that?"

He blushed faintly. "I told him no one would keep an apartment so insanely clean like he does."

"It's not insane," she said as her eyes narrowed. With a small bit of satisfaction, she noticed the glimmer of intimidation in his eyes. "Anyway, I'll just be a minute. You can have a seat if you want."

"Are you sure I won't wrinkle anything if I do?" he teased at her retreating figure. To his right, he noticed a small bathroom, and he ducked inside to check himself in the mirror. Keitaro had told him that people could read every ounce of fatigue on his face, and he was pretty sure that after today, he was looking like a wreck. He groaned, taking in his reflection. Dark, baggy circles under his eyes and a definite slump in his posture.

Groaning, he turned on the water to splash some on his face to help bring him out of his funk. Dimly, he heard the front door open and close.

"Reiii!" a female voice called, and after a moment of thought he identified it as Minako's. "You'll never guess what I was doing! I went to school to find Keitaro-kun's office and he told me all about some of his dreams!"

Sensing that this was going somewhere that he didn't want to hear, he cleared his throat, poking his head out the door to smile and wave at her.

"Oh! Hi Jiro-kun!" she said, blushing intensely. "Sometimes I like to come home and tell Rei ridiculous stories. You can just forget you heard that, right?" She smiled sweetly, and he had to wonder just what she had managed to get from that smile.

A moment later, Rei reappeared from her room, wearing a pair of loose fitting sweatpants and a t-shirt. He almost wanted to laugh; he still had the image of her as a serene miko in his head. Mikos don't wear sweatpants.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Minako just smirked. "Aren't you?"

Rei glared at her as she wrestled her hair into a loose bun at her nape. "My class hasn't started yet, and I'm on my way there right now. Your class started an hour ago."

Minako pouted. "I don't like that class."

Rei rolled her eyes. "It's your music theater class. You love that class."

"I'm tired tonight," she grumbled, flopping down on the couch and grabbing at the television remote.

The dark haired girl just shook her head exasperatedly, abandoning the issue. She returned back to her room, coming back just a moment later with the bag she had been carrying with her earlier.

"What are you doing here anyway, Jiro-kun?" Minako asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.

He smirked. "Being a Good Samaritan and taking a sweet girl who wet her pants home to change and then to class."

Minako laughed outright, and he was only mildly surprised when Rei landed a well-aimed smack to his arm. "I did not wet my pants," she fumed, but he simply put on his most dazzling smile.

"Shall we? Keitaro's probably grumpy that I'm late," he said, gesturing toward the door.

"He's grumpier that you haven't answered your phone in the last hour," Minako supplied helpfully.

"Whoops," he muttered under his breath, heading toward the door. He noticed Rei about to open her mouth to speak again, and he could tell what was coming based on her expression. "If you say 'thank you' one more time I'm going to loose it."

Minako laughed again, loudly, and he only felt a tiny bit of guilt at the embarrassed expression that washed over her face as she clamped her mouth shut.

"You've got to watch out for the 'I'm sorry's too," Minako teased. "Now get out of here; you're distracting me from my show."

Jiro looked down at his watch. "And you're almost late," he said, pulling the door open and ushering her out into the hallway.

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

"He _kissed_ you?" Minako shouted, practically alerting everyone at the Crown Fruit Parlor, including Mamoru and Motoki at the opposite side of the restaurant, that yes, indeed, Hino Rei had been kissed by a member of opposite sex. They had come for an impromptu meeting, called at the last minute when Haruka and Michiru were available. They had been out of the country on vacation, but had come back as soon as Rei told them what was going on.

Makoto scrambled to her aid, clamping her hands down over Minako's loud mouth to silence her. Usagi practically had stars in her eyes. "Oh, Rei-chan," she breathed, "he's falling in love with you! They're all falling in love with you again! Isn't this so romantic?"

Rei rolled her eyes, and Ami noticed that she looked rather tired. "He kissed me to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I hardly think that constitutes as a declaration of love." Beside her, Minako nodded vigorously, finally freeing herself from Makoto's grasp.

"I mean, he's being very nice to you, but I don't think that he's interested in that. Not right now, anyway," she confessed, giving the Goddess of Love's opinion on the situation at hand. "He certainly does like you, though."

"I know," Rei muttered, twirling the straw in her drink. "He's been very kind. He said when we were getting tea that it was because he was pretty sure that you and Keitaro would be a serious item soon, and so he wanted to get to know me better."

"Sounds like, from what you've told us, he's probably still hurting over this Miyako cunt."

"Haruka-san!" Usagi gasped, eyes wide. Even at twenty-one years old, married and pregnant, she still was shocked to ever her friends utter a single profanity. Aside from the word 'damn,' which happened to be one of her personal favorites. Haruka simply rolled her eyes, sending an amused look at Michiru, who laughed lightly behind her hand. Rei was glad that they had gotten in touch with the older Senshi. Haruka and Michiru had been very good friends to her in the past, and she was eternally grateful for them. She could, however, feel Haruka watching her intently, and resisted the urge to fidget under her gaze.

"What about you, Mina?" she said, wanting to take the attention off of herself for a bit. "What did you learn about Keitaro-kun's dreams?"

Minako's face nearly split in half from the force of her grin. "They're _memories_," she said, sounding every bit like a child who had just seen a miracle with their own eyes. "Rei, do you remember that ball on Venus? The one where I made you wear that pretty purple gown that you hated?" The miko nodded, looking apprehensive. "He said that night was his favorite dream. You know, that was the first time Kunzite told me that he loved me, and we danced all night, and after the ball we –"

Ami cleared her throat, crimson blush staining her cheeks. They _all_ knew about that night. Minako had advertised that it was the best sec she had ever had when she reported for Senshi training the next morning.

"Anyway, he remembered a lot of little details from that night. Like that I was talking to you, Rei, before I danced with him, although he doesn't remember your face. He told me about a bunch of others ones too, and all of them were things that I remembered."

"He'll probably take the news a bit better than the others, I would supposed," Michiru commented, her tone wistful. "Have any of the others shown signs of having these memories?"

Ami and Rei shook their heads. Makoto merely shrugged. "He says girls like me are his _type_: tall, self-reliant, auburn – yes, he always says _auburn_ – hair, athletic. It could be that he remembers little things about me, or it could just be one of his strategies for luring women into his bed."

"They're probably all drawn to you in some way, even if it's not obvious," Haruka said, he foot skimming against Rei's under the table to get her attention. "You were soul mates back then, and you're soul mates not. Some kinds of emotions between you are guaranteed to happen."

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" she asked, curling up against his side. It had been the perfect day, just the two of them for the most part, curled up on their couch watching sappy movies that she knew he hated, letting the warming spring breeze filter in through their open windows.

The only thing that could have made the day better would be to opportunity to do it all again tomorrow.

He tipped her head up, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. "I do," he confirmed. "Bright and early in the morning," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

She made a face. "The sun isn't even up at four in the morning, Mamo-chan," she grumbled, and he laughed in spite of it.

"I have to go to work, Usako, so you can stay at home and be a darling little housewife like you've always wanted," he said, pecking a kiss on her nose. "You wouldn't want us to have to go live in a box because we couldn't afford this nice big apartment anymore, would you?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment before pressing a kiss to his bare collarbone. "I'd live in a box if it meant being with you," she said, very sincerely.

He brought a hand up and ran it through her hair, wondering how it was that he had been matched with such a loving woman. Many times, he wasn't sure that he deserved her affection, but he always accepted it graciously when she presented herself to him.

It was different with her than it had been with Rei. Usagi was always confident in her emotions, positive that they would never lead him astray. Rei was always doubtful and insecure, seeking constant reassurance in his affections for her. It was amazing what the difference their upbringings had in their capability to be in a relationship. Yet, he'd loved them both; Usagi for her almost naïve, blind-eyed confidence in her love and Rei for her flaws and insecurities. He often wondered what would have come of their relationship, had it been allowed to progress unchecked.

Would she have self-destructed anyway?

Would he have grown out of it the way Yuichirou had?

Would they still be happy, and instead would he be twirling strands of raven hair between his fingers?

Mentally he shook his head. He knew there was no sense in dwelling on the past.

He lifted some of her golden hair, not surprised to see some strands of silver glimmering in the moonlight. Setsuna had told them that the sleep would come after Chibiusa was born; it was only natural that as her pregnancy progressed, so would her transition into Neo Queen Serenity.

"You're going grey, love," he murmured, and he could tell by the feel of her face against his chest that she had scrunched up her nose.

"I know," she moaned, sounding quite pathetic. "Not even twenty-two and I'll be greyer than my mother."

He laughed quietly, eventually sighing a relaxing onto his back. As expected, Usagi followed him, keeping her head rested at the crook of his shoulder, adjusting her body to the new position.

"You should tell her soon, you know," he said, letting his eyes slipped close as sleep nipped at his consciousness.

"I know," she said, sighing against him. "She'll be so excited. She's been pestering Shingo for grandchildren too."

He laughed out loud at that, imagining the baffled look that must have appeared on her sixteen year old brother's face at the prospect of being a father. He was already thirty-one, and the thought was entirely intimidating.

As if reading his thoughts, she murmured, "You're going to be a good father, Mamo-chan."

He carried that thought with him as he drifted to sleep.

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

She snapped awake abruptly, clutching at the thin fabric of her nightshirt as the last images of her dream left her.

No, nightmare.

No, vision.

She shuddered, despite the heat in the room and the sweat coating her shaking frame. Had it not been for the small detail of Minako sleeping in the next room, she probably would have screamed in frustration at the top of her lungs.

She used to, when she was younger and her damn visions got out of control. She would scream and Ojiisan would come running, eventually smoothing down her hair and trying to calm her down. She knew that he didn't truly know what she felt like. He'd never had full visions, just whispers and voices from the fire that gave him insight about the future.

He used to calm her by telling her that she was special, until she'd gotten old enough to ask him if being special meant killing your mother, being abandoned by your father, and seeing death all the time.

She sighed, standing up on shaking legs to venture into the kitchen to get a cup of water. Something felt very, very wrong. She kept having the same vision, more or less. They were battling, although she never could see whom they were up against. Sometimes Usagi was the one who was hurt. Sometimes it was Minako. Most of the time it was both of them, lying on the ground like broken little dolls, blood flowing like water.

She almost vomited at the thought, so she ran into the kitchen, quickly grabbing a bottle of water and gulping it down as fast as she could. Sighing, she slumped against the cabinets, letting herself sink to the floor, wracking her brain to try and decipher the meaning of her visions.

She could feel the beginnings of a panic attack pulling at her; the barest hints of black at the edges of her vision, the subtle hitching in her breathing. She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing as though she were meditating. Michiru had taught her to do this when she first starting having these damned panic attacks, right after she regained all of her memories. It had always been a strategy that worked, but it relied on her being able to recognize when the attack was starting, which was almost never.

Taking another deep breath, she settled her body into a more appropriate position, focusing to relax the tension lingering in her arms and legs before returning her attention to her breathing. Through all of her years of practice, she was easily able to let her mind slip into a calmed state.

She wasn't sure how long she had sat there before whispered words slipped into her mind.

_Stay away._

Her eyes flew open, looking around her, feeling frantically for an aura of someone, anyone, but the nearest she could detect was Minako's from where the girl was resting peacefully in her own bed. Cold dread grasped at her.

She needed to stay away from them in order to stop her vision from happening? She got up quickly, ignoring the stiffness that had gathered in her legs and returned to her room. She changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing a sweatshirt from her closet as well. She located her phone and dialed a familiar number as she headed out of the apartment.

The first ring hadn't finished before Haruka picked up.

"Michiru was wondering when you would call."

.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

Thanks for reading! Chapter 8 is almost done. This one was almost a double chapter, but I am trying to be pretty consistent about length. Please review! You guys are awesome.


	8. Forward Motion

AN: Welcome, welcome! Here is chapter 8! Sorry for the delay. I was hit with an unexpected move and a new job and just had a lot of loose ends in my personal life that needed to be taken care of. Then, when I finally got back into writing again, I decided that I was not overly thrilled with this chapter and rewrote some parts of it. Some stuff goes down in this chapter and the story will get moving pretty quickly now! Chapter 9 is in the works and should be posted soon.

Also, with this chapter the rating will change to M, but it's just because of language. My love of the f-word dictates it (it actually should have changed a couple of chapters ago)!

Warnings: Bad language and some blood. Nothing too dramatic.

I still don't own Sailormoon.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

Chapter 8: Forward Motion

_A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes_

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

_She rubbed at her chilled shoulders almost absently. She wasn't used to the skin there being bared; Mars was far too cold even on the warmest days for such attire. She examined herself in the mirror, feeling somewhat foreign in her typical lunar-styled gown. The dress was a vibrant red, almost the color of her beloved Sacred Fire, and sometimes, when she moved just right, she thought the caught a flicker in the color like that of a burning flame. The silken material flowed over her body effortlessly, held onto her only by two simple, thin straps._

_She cast a longing glance at her own clothes, neatly laid on her bed. She craved the thick, comforting material of her deep violet tunic and the softness of her flat, worn leather shoes._

_The attendant that had been assigned to her (in a most embarrassing manner, for she had not attendants on Mars and, unlike the other guardians, had not brought her own; she heard the other dignitaries whispering rumors of the barbarian royal family of Mars, who must live in absolute squalor without the assistance of servants) pulled at the ribbon holding her hair in place, causing the inky black strands to spill around her face. She hated having her hair down, but the attendant insisted that it softened her appearance. Her words had startled her at first; Jadeite had once said the same._

_The girl was rather kind, not much older than she was. Rei still did not fully understand the need for servants, even after all of her time with Jadeite on Earth and her recent visits to Serenity on the Moon. It didn't make since to her, even now in her seventeenth year of life, why someone would need another to help them dress, or to fetch them water, or to feed them, when they were perfectly capable of doing it for themselves. She wanted to ask the girl how she had come to be at the palace, why it was that she worked for the royal family. She wanted to know if they worked for the Queen willingly, or, if like the slaves of Jadeite's father, they were forced into their position._

_Despite her curiosity, she kept her mouth shut. She was still a guest here, after all. She didn't want to overstep her bounds._

_The attendant finished brushing out her hair and ran her fingers through the long strands to smooth it all back down._

"_Kasei-hime?" the attendant called, pulling her out of her revere. The girl smiled softly, watching her intently as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "You need not be nervous," she said, speaking in broken Aresian that somehow comforted. She managed a small smile in return, grateful for the girl's companionship._

_She was about to thank her when a knock sounded at the door. The attendant hurried away, pulling open the heavy oak door (she still did not know how the people of the Moon had acquired such a wood) to reveal Jadeite's tall form._

_He was dressed in formal attire, the crisp white of his dress uniform contrasted sharply with the dark stone of the palace. Red piping lined the seams of his uniform and the inside of his cape was deep red velvet. He was wearing a soft smile, bowing gracefully to the attendant and causing her to blush profusely. She turned back to her, announcing her departure, and slipping past him and into the hall._

_She had to admit that she had grown very close to him over the past ten years. She had not been thrilled when her father had announced their betrothal, for she had very little use for an earthen boy. Yet, he had shown her much kindness and compassion, even at times when she had been rather cruel to her. Yes, she had grown to love him, and she was sure that he loved her in return, though they never voiced these thoughts out loud._

_He had been with her when she had awoken as a Senshi, not two months ago. They had been on Earth, and he was teaching her the names of the other dignitaries that they were sure to meet upon their arrival at the Moon for Queen Serenity's ball to announce the coming of age of her only daughter. She had begun to feel rather faint, and the last thing she remembered was clutching at his arm before flames enveloped her vision and hearing him screaming her name in a desperate panic as everything faded to black. _

_She had awoken to him hovering over her, pressing cool, wet clothes to her face and neck. She had felt like a meteor had just hit her; her body felt overly hot and weak. He had been watching her intently, and she had felt very confused until he held up a small metal tray and she had seen the emblazoned symbol of her planet burning on her forehead._

"_Himochi," he breathed, crossing the room and pushing his hand into the smooth mass of her hair before behind his head to kiss her softly. "You're beautiful," he said simply. She smiled at him again, finding herself at a loss for words as she glanced back up at her reflection in the mirror. Jadeite followed her gaze and moved to stand behind her. She had to admit; they looked quite lovely together._

"_I'm nervous," she said quietly as she met his reflected gaze, her Aresian accent obvious as she spoke the old language. _

_He smiled, pushing her hair over one shoulder to expose more of her bare skin, smirking gently at the gooseflesh that erupted over her arm. She caught the wistfulness in his gaze; she knew things in the East were becoming tenser. Jadeite's father was not a good king; he had usurped the true king and had imposed his will upon his people. His people did not view him favorably, because even though he did not enforce his father's will upon his people, he did nothing to stop him. She knew that attending this gathering must not have looked favorable for him, but he was there because she had asked him to be, and he had always found it hard to refuse her. _

"_You shouldn't be," he murmured, pressing kisses along the smooth line of her shoulder. Her heart fluttered at the contact, and her face softened as she watched him in the mirror._

_Yes, she did love him._

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

She shook her head of the memory as she sat on the curb outside of her apartment building. She heard a car approaching in the distance, and a few moments later she saw the familiar yellow sports car rounding the corner. Haruka stifled a yawn as she pulled her car up in front of the apartment building. Quickly, Rei opened the door and hopped in, grateful that Haruka hadn't left the top down, as she was prone to in the spring; the evening air was rather chilled.

"I'm sorry for waking you," she said, mentally scolding herself for being so apologetic after Jiro and Minako's teasing earlier that evening.

Haruka waved her hand dismissively as she put the car back into drive. "Technically, Michiru did that. Damn empathy."

Rei turned to look at her in surprise. "Michiru could feel that?" she asked, incredulously.

Michiru's empathy, much like her physic abilities, was something that couldn't be easily understood. Haruka had explained to her that it had taken a lot of discipline on Michiru's part to be able to control her ability to feel the emotions of others. Rei had been forced to do the same; when she had first come to the shrine and discovered her ability to read the fire, she had found herself assaulted by auras of individuals, both dead and living.

The weight of it had been unbearable. She could only imagine how terrible it must have been for Michiru to be constantly assaulted by the myriad of emotions of others.

Haruka nodded, not taking her eyes off the deserted street. "She was up with Hotaru anyway; if she would have still been asleep I doubt she would have been able to." She took one hand off the wheel, squeezing her leg gently. "She's close to you. We both are."

It was true. Like her, Michiru and Haruka were able to remember nearly all of their past in the Silver Millennium, though she suspected they still remembered less than she did. When she had gotten her memories back it had nearly destroyed her. She'd been so unsure of who she really was, feeling like two drastically different people were cramming themselves into her skull and fighting with one another to determine which one of them was her true self. It was something that none of the girls had really been able to comprehend. Makoto had been the easiest to talk to, as they both felt as though they had been shortchanged in this life, struggling through broken families and emotional instabilities, but the taller girl didn't remember _everything_.

She didn't remember the warm affection from the man who wore her father's face when she hit targets perfectly during archery practice, contrasted against the man's cold, calculating stare as he criticized her for not being good enough. She didn't remember the comforting feel of her lover's lips grazing across her bare shoulder, soothing her as she prepared to attend her first royal gathering on the Moon. She didn't feel the loneliness that she felt now, wondering where his constant companionship had gone before remembering how effortlessly she had killed him the first day she discovered her destiny.

Michiru, prying at her subconsciously with her empathy, had felt her inner conflict and reached out to her, explaining to her that she and Haruka often felt as lost as she did now.

Then there were the panic attacks, which she was surprised to learn Haruka suffered from as well. Cool, calm, confident Haruka was just as fucked up emotionally as she was, lost in a swirl of who she was now versus who she had been before. In time they had both gotten a lot better, as they were able to come to peace with who they were and who they had been, and through that Rei had been able to discover who she really was. It was a blend of the two people that had been warring in her brain.

She needed Himochi's confidence and grace mixed with Rei's caution and self-preservation.

The panic attacks had all but faded, and usually only came after a particularly vivid vision, and once after she'd had the only dream she'd ever had of her mother. Most of the time she was able to read the symptoms and calm herself down, but they still occasionally crept up on her, just as it had last night.

Haruka, who was just as insecure as she was, was not as fortunate. Her happiness was closely tied to Michiru's and whenever Michiru was struggling or suffering, Haruka suffered with her, breaking down even when she knew she needed to be strong. Michiru had hinted that she was doing better at keeping control of herself, but Rei knew that Haruka struggled the same way she did.

It was a mildly comforting thought. It was a side of her that Rei knew the other girls had never seen, much less even knew about.

They weren't supposed to have any secrets among one another, but Rei was keeping plenty of her own, between her indiscretions with Mamoru and her panic attacks, as well as Minako and Haruka's secrets. Sometimes, it almost drove her nuts.

Oh well. Everything would come out when the sleep happened. Setsuna had all but promised that shit would hit the fan in a most colossal fashion after Chibiusa was born.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the older woman asked, glancing over at her with a concerned expression. "Or rather, can you talk about it?" She knew full well that sometimes even speaking about the visions caused them to change, often for the worst.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't even know where to start about the visions," she admitted, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. "I thought I was going to have an attack after seeing them in my dream again, so I was trying to meditate. It was working, and I finally calmed down, but then I heard this whisper telling me to 'stay away.' I couldn't feel any spirits or auras. I don't even know who or what I'm supposed to stay away from."

"Well I hope it wasn't telling you to stay away from me," Haruka joked, and Rei managed a small smile.

"Usagi and Mina were in the vision; I'm probably supposed to stay away from them." She sighed, wondering what in the world she was supposed to be doing, and why in the world she had called Haruka at two o'clock in the morning. She didn't even know what she expected Haruka to do for her. Haruka made a soft noise of acknowledgement but didn't speak, her expression thoughtful.

"I'm glad you're back," she said quietly. Haruka didn't look back at her, but she squeezed her knee to let her know she had heard her. They rode in companionable silence until they reached their large house on the outskirts of town.

"Why was Hotaru-chan awake anyway?" she asked once they pulled into the driveway. The girl was nearly six years old now; it seemed unusual that she would be awake at this late hour.

Haruka made a concerned face as she exited the car. "Nightmares," she said simply, and Rei found herself biting the inside of her cheek.

"She's not remembering things, is she?" she asked, genuine concern tingeing her voice.

At that, Haruka sighed, throwing her arm around Rei's shoulders as the headed into the house. "It seems that way. Setsuna-chan hinted that something like this would happen soon. She just led us to believe that it wouldn't be until after Chibiusa was born."

"She's too young," she said softly as the racer pushed open the door.

"Not even six and she'll remember what it was like to destroy the world."

The house seemed eerily quiet, even for the late hour. Haruka pushed Rei into the foyer before closing the door behind her. Through the soft light provided by a lonely lamp in the sitting room, Rei saw Michiru rise, warily, looking exhausted.

"Is everything alright?" Haruka asked with a guarded tone. Rei felt a rather large lump lodge itself in her throat when she noticed the faintest glimmer of tears in Michiru's eyes.

"She wants to know why we took her from her father," she said, her voice sounding much more composed than Rei thought it should. "That's what her nightmare was about; we were the monsters that took her away from her real family."

Haruka bit her lip, something that she often did when she felt distressed, a characteristic that she and Rei shared. "Where is she?" Rei noticed the tension in her jaw.

Michiru waved an arm almost dismissively at the stairs, but the gesture probably came more from fatigue. "Sleeping."

Haruka sighed heavily and Rei found herself leaning back against the cool wood of the front door. Why was all of this happening now?

Haruka must have read her thoughts, as not a second later she muttered, "I thought shit wasn't supposed to start until _after_ Chibiusa was born."

Michiru smiled genuinely then, shaking her head at her lover. "Must you always be so vulgar?" she scolded lightly, turning off the lamp and heading to the foyer.

"Yes," Haruka grumbled under her breath, beginning her ascent up the stairs.

She smiled, although she didn't feel any happiness. She was starting to get really worried about this entire situation. Things didn't feel right. Something was very, very wrong. She knew that she needed to figure something out, and soon, or someone was going to get hurt. She was just so tired. Anxiety and distress were waging a war within her, and she knew that it wouldn't stop until she got some rest. Real rest, not that awful sleep that came after having a panic attack that just made her feel like she had been hit by a freight train.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Michiru's departure until the taller woman was pressing a warm cup of tea into her hands. She snapped her head up, mildly surprised, and nearly spilled the contents of the cup onto her friend.

Michiru smiled warmly, but she could clearly see the worry in her eyes. "This will help you sleep," she said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and ushering her toward the stairs.

"Are you drugging me?" she asked, though she suspected she already knew the answer. "Haruka-chan is rubbing off on you," she muttered, sipping at the tea when she heard Michiru chuckle from behind her.

"I know you," she whispered, her voice dropping as they past Hotaru's room. Rei could see that one the faintest lanterns were lit, and Haruka sat by the girl, running one hand gently through raven locks. "I can feel everything that's running around through your head right now. You look like you haven't slept for days," she elaborated, opening the door to one of the guest rooms that had already been prepared for her arrival.

'Great,' she found herself thinking. 'Not only does Jiro-san think of me as a virgin-for-life priestess, but he probably has noticed that I look like the walking dead as well.'

"Drink that and go to sleep," Michiru said, reaching one hand up to cup her cheek gently. "You can come and sleep with us if you want; I know it helps you. I'll make sure Haruka doesn't assault you." She added a wink for effect, and Rei found herself smiling despite the situation.

"Thank you," she murmured, hoping that she sounded genuinely appreciative of her hospitality.

She was a little surprised to find herself enveloped in a warm embrace, struggling not to spill tea on Michiru for the second time that night. "Anytime, Rei," the older woman murmured, squeezing her a little.

"We're always here for you."

Twenty minutes later, those words echoed in her head as the dissolved sleeping pill worked its magic, sending her into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako grumbled, digging through her backpack to locate her phone and check it for the fifth time that morning. She had been more than irritated to wake up late, nearly missing her first class of the day, because Rei, her perpetual alarm clock, had left early. She had snatched up the obviously hastily scribbled note from her best friend in a mild fit of rage, wondering what it was that could be so important that she would just _leave_ instead of waking her up.

Or at least setting her alarm clock for her.

She frowned, noticing that she had no new messages before shoving the phone back into her bag. She was in her vocals class now, and her teacher was particularly strict about not having cell phones out in class. She was already having a bad enough morning; she didn't need to get kicked out of her favorite class on top of it all.

She was supposed to be critiquing another girl's song selection, contributing to the discussion of what her strengths and weaknesses were as she performed, but she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Rei _had_ been a little distant for the past few days, but Minako had almost effortlessly chalked it up to her dealing with whatever vision she kept having. She'd been rather busy, spending time preparing for her senior show and stalking Keitaro.

No, no. Not stalking. Investigating, like a good crime fighter would do.

She sighed, letting her head fall to rest on her hand, elbow perched on the smooth surface of the table in front of her. She really hadn't been a good friend lately, and Rei, being Rei, would never point that out to her. No wonder the girl had gone off to spend time with Haruka. They had become very good friends over the past few years, although Minako wasn't entirely sure why. Rei had simply rolled her eyes and accused her of being jealous when she'd asked about it. Haruka had just poked her in the nose and informed her that there was plenty of Rei to go around.

And here she was, claiming to be the best friend and confidant, when she was really too obsessed with finding love to pay attention to the fact that her friend was, quite obviously, cracking. She sighed; it wasn't entirely her fault. The whole concept of getting Kunzite to fall in love with her all over again was so tempting. And easy. She almost couldn't wait until they got their memories back. She was sure that Keitaro would be relieved to see that all of his dreams and fantasies were really realities from a life he never even knew he had.

"My life is so fucking weird," she muttered under her breath.

It wasn't until she saw the fuming face of her professor and the curious yet shocked eyes of her classmates that she realized she'd spoken out loud.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Keitaro smiled despite himself as he noticed a familiar mass of blond hair walking not too far ahead of him. Subconsciously, he hastened his steps, coming to walk beside her after a few seconds.

"So where are you off to?" he asked, slightly delighted when she jumped as he announced his presence.

"Christ, Keitaro-kun," she said, idly pressing her hand to her chest. "You don't have to scare a girl."

She did seem to be rather surprised, and for that he felt a bit guilty. "My sincerest apologies, Minako-san," he said, smiling widely. "It's not that often I find myself in the company of a goddess." The tease had its desired effect, and he was met with one of Minako's rather dazzling smiles.

He couldn't believe that this was all happening. He'd had those dreams his entire life, and they had always felt so real. Now, the object of all of his desires was standing right in front of him, looping her arm around his. His thoughts drifted to his brother's disaster of a love life, and he wondered how he had been so lucky to find his soul mate, and to know that she had dreamt of him too.

It had to be destiny, right? There was no other way that finding the love of your life could be this easy.

"You didn't answer my question," he said after a moment of companionable silence. "Where are you off to?"

Minako huffed out a sigh, stuffing her arm down into her bag to check her cell phone. "I have no idea," she admitted. "Rei always gets lunch with me after class, but she left the apartment really early this morning and I haven't heard from her since."

Keitaro furrowed his brow. Jiro had told him what had happened the night before, when Miyako had encountered them while getting coffee. He couldn't fathom why that incident would cause her to avoid Minako, though. The girl always spoke of her best friend like her sister; it seemed strange that she hadn't answered any of her texts.

"Well, would you like to get lunch with me instead?" he offered, hoping that she would say yes. She smiled brightly and nodded, reaching down to clasp her hand around his.

Ten minutes later they were sitting at a table at Crown, talking about nothing in particular, when Minako's phone went off. She reached for it, a bit hastily, and after examining it for a moment, her lips turned into a pretty little frown.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, genuine concern tingeing his voice.

She sighed, typing a message back without looking up at him. "I guess so. That was Rei. She said she just woke up."

He smiled. "See? Looks like you had nothing to worry about." She looked up at him and shot him a glare, one that clearly said 'are you really that stupid?"

"Rei gets up at five every morning. It's eleven thirty. Plus her note said she was meeting someone for breakfast," she said, and he could easily detect the concern in her voice. "I mean, it seemed like something was up with her yesterday but I didn't ask her about it. I probably should have."

He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, Minako-san," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "You said that she always talks to you eventually. Maybe she just needs some more time?"

Minako sighed, setting her phone down on the table and taking a sip of her water. "I know. It just bothers me. She only sleeps that late when she's sick."

He scooted his chair a bit closer to her, letting go of her hand and putting his arm around her shoulder. His heart started to beat a little faster when she let her head rest against his shoulder; he loved having her this close.

"Well does she ever have trouble sleeping?" he asked. The least he could do was to brainstorm through this with her.

She nodded. "All the time. We used to think she didn't sleep at all," she said, her confession ending in a dry chuckle.

"Well maybe she just needed to go somewhere for a good nights sleep," he said, squeezing her shoulders. "It seems as though she got it."

Minako groaned. "I know. I know that you're right. I just wish she would have told me what was going on."

"You're a good friend to care about her this much," he said. "You're lucky to have each other."

Minako smiled at that, seemingly glad that someone who really was still a stranger to her had acknowledged how special their friendship was.

A moment later her phone when off. Over her shoulder he could read the reply that Rei had sent.

"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll explain everything tonight."

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Haruka sighed, flopping down onto the bench next to Rei as they watched Michiru chasing Hotaru around in the grass. Both were laughing and joyous; the drama of the past evening had apparently been forgotten.

She had woken up feeling more rested than she thought she would, with Haruka curled possessively around her. She often wondered what it was about their friendship that made the closeness, the physical contact so comforting and acceptable, but she chose not to comment on it. She was grateful that Michiru never seemed to mind. Most of the time she wound up in the pile anyway, but Rei suspected that she spent the night in Hotaru's room.

They had gone out to breakfast once everyone had finally woken up; fortunately Hotaru had slept later that she had. She would have hated for everyone to be waiting on her. Afterwards they ventured to the park, at Hotaru's request. She hated skipping class, but she knew she needed a mental health day. She'd just have to make up her work later.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, casually slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Better," she admitted, wrapping her arms tighter around her legs that she had pulled up against her chest. "Thank you for helping me get some sleep."

Haruka didn't look convinced. "You don't look like it."

Rei took a deep breath, hugging her legs to herself as she realized she was shaking. She couldn't explain it. A moment ago she had felt completely calm, and now she could feel tendrils of panic reaching for her. Her heart was pounding and it felt like it was getting hard to breath. Suddenly, a flash of a vision burst into her mind of a woman with her two young children being attacked by some sort of monster. It was gone as soon as it began.

"Something is going to happen," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

Haruka opened her mouth to ask when, but closed it as soon as she heard the panicked screams of a woman somewhere nearby in the park.

"Get her out of here!" Haruka yelled to Michiru, who immediately grabbed Hotaru's arm and pulled her in the direction of the park exit. Rei reached into her purse, feeling the comforting weight of her crystal locket in her hand, seeing that Haruka had grabbed hers as well. In a rush of wind and a burst of flame, they were replaced with Sailor Uranus and Sailor Mars.

A quick glance passed between the two of them before the rushed to the sound of the woman's scream.

Rei ripped her communicator out of her subspace pocket, quickly sending a distress call to Makoto and Ami. She had to keep Minako and Usagi out of this fight; that must have been what her vision was trying to tell her.

They burst through the bushes, and she could hardly believe what she saw. The creature looked quite a bit like the daimons they had fought so many years ago. It was human looking, but wrapped in what looked to be thick, heavy chains. It appeared that the demon could shoot the chains away from them at will, as the woman was trying to free one of the children from the demons grasp.

Mars launched an arrow, pleased to see that it easily cut through the chain, freeing the child. She was on her way over to the family to help them a safe way out of the park, but someone beat her to it.

Looking up, she met the crystal blue eyes of Sailor Moon, who had already picked up the smaller child and was grabbing for the hand of the woman, who held the other youth.

"You get out of here with them, Sailor Moon!" she called after her, hearing the sound of Uranus' attack and the wail of the monster from behind her. "Get out of here!" She knew how desperate she sounded, and she hated it, but Usagi had to stay away. A sick feeling lodged itself on her stomach as Sailor Moon disappeared without acknowledging that she would stay away.

Taking a deep breath, she whirled around to face the creature, conjuring up her bow and launching an arrow effortlessly in the region of the demons heart. Her aim was true, as usual, but the monster was completely unaffected.

"Mine didn't do anything either," Uranus called from beside her, even as she prepared to attack again. The attack failed once again, so she grabbed an ofuda scroll from subspace and prepared to charge the beast. She chanted as she ran, knowing that her aim had to be perfect. She leapt into the air, unknowingly leaving her torso vulnerable to attack. Uranus noticed and screamed out a warning to her, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the demon raised its arms, shooting a chain out that effortlessly wound its way around her torso, pinning her arms down to her sides and throwing her out of the way.

She winced upon impact with the ground. She was _really_ out of practice. Four years ago, she never would have been so careless to leave herself that open to attack. She widened her eyes as she looked up.

For years ago, Uranus never would have been so careless as to turn her back on the enemy to check on a comrade.

Another chain was launched, and within seconds, Uranus found herself as entrapped as she was. The demon yanked its arms back, throwing Uranus backwards and dragging her body across the ground a bit. She was trying o come up with a good way to escape when she was assaulted by a wave of dark energy.

It came from the chains; it felt like electricity as it coursed through her body, blanking out all of her thoughts so that the only thing she could focus on was the pain.

When it stopped, she found herself begging, praying silently that Michiru would return soon. The demon may have been hard to injure, but the chains were easy to break. She could hear Uranus breathing heavily nearby, and hoped that she wasn't too badly injured. Since Mamoru's crystal wasn't working, none of them could really stand to be even the slightest bit hurt.

The creature yanked the chains again, successfully pulling Mars back onto her feet, but merely dragging Uranus a few feet forward. Suddenly, she felt herself falling backward as a golden light swept through her line of vision, snapping the two chains and freeing the pair. She followed the light with her eyes, watching with mild terror as it faded into a shining gold tiara that Sailor Moon placed effortlessly back on her head.

She wanted to scream. She wasn't supposed to be here; she was putting herself and her unborn child in too much danger. She knew that she couldn't voice her fears out loud; she didn't need to put any more attention on Sailor Moon that the other girl already had.

She leapt into the fray, facing the monster head on.

"The people of this planet are enjoying a great time of peace! What gives you the right to come in here and disrupt it?"

The creature merely uttered some semblance of a laugh, so Sailor Moon continued.

"What is it that you want here? Whom are you working for?" She took several steps closer to the monster.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the creature flick its hand out, forming the tip of the chain into a crude looking blade. Fear gripped at her throat and Mars knew that she only had seconds to act. She did so without thinking. As soon as the monster made to move his arm, she sprang into action, pushing past Uranus and throwing all of her weight onto Sailor Moon and forcefully pushing her out of the way.

Pain exploded in her abdomen as she felt herself being thrown backwards. Usagi screamed her name and she saw the monster yank its arm backwards, pulling her forward with so much force that her head snapped backward. Everything around her seemed to slow down as she fell. She saw the chain as it made its way back to the creature and noticed that it was covered in blood.

Dimly, she wondered if it was hers. From somewhere far away, she heard Uranus calling her name, her real name, not her Senshi one, and then realized that she couldn't recall just what her name was. As her vision faded to black, she wondered why if she was bleeding so much that she couldn't feel anything anymore.

She was unconscious before she ever hit the ground.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have any constructive criticism or comments. See you all for chapter 9!


	9. The Wait

AN – Okay, before we get started, I'm going to put some clarification in here for the names. I often assume that everyone knows what I'm trying to say, and that's just silly. With the inner Senshi, I gave them all a Silver Millennium name, just to make everyone extra confused. Plus, they have their Silver Millennium Title, which is really just the Japanese name for their planet followed by the honorific -hime, meaning (as my Japanese family has told me) princess. So, for reference, here's a little chart…

Anime Name (Age) – Silver Millennium Name (Meaning) – Silver Millennium Title

Hino Rei (21) – Himochi (Fire caused by War) – Kasei-hime

Aino Minako (22) – Kyousei (Lovely Voice) – Kinsei-hime

Mizuno Ami (22) – Koori (Ice) – Suisei-hime

Kino Makoto (22) – Rakurai (Thunderbolt) – Mokusei-hime

So, for example, Zoisite would have called Ami Koori during the Silver Millennium, but her attendants and subjects would have called her Suisei-hime.

As an added reference, here are the shittenou's new names and ages once again:

Kunzite: Takata Keitaro - 29

Nephrite: Kaneko Norio - 27

Zoisite: Kiyomizu Yoshikazu - 24

Jadeite: Takata Jiro – 23

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of the reviews and comments that you all leave for me! I always try to respond to them personally, and I promise that I will do that soon! I really just need to sit down and do it. Anyway, thank you all so much for your interest in this story; you readers as what keeps me going!

Warnings: Nothing too graphic in this chapter. Some naughty language, some blood, some vomit. Yum!

I still don't own Sailormoon.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

Chapter 9: The Wait

_A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes_

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

There was so much blood.

She didn't even know if it was possible for someone to bleed so much and still be alive. Panic gripped at her suddenly, and she found herself desperately searching for Rei's pulse again, even now as she ran as fast as she could to the nearest hospital. Finding it, she felt relieved, but she could tell that the girl's pulse was growing weaker and weaker.

She had to make it to the hospital in time.

Jupiter and Neptune had arrived scant seconds after she had fallen, thankfully. Sailor Moon was in full hysterics at seeing her best friend prone on the ground, bleeding profusely, all because she had pushed her out of the way. She had been too stunned to move for a second herself; the moment had felt so surreal. Mars hadn't even screamed. Had she even realized what was happening?

She didn't understand how this could be happening. Their crystals had always protected them from injuries in battle before; why hadn't the red crystal helped her now? Sailor Moon was right next to her, and she had thought that the Silver Crystal might have had some healing effect over as well, but nothing had happened. Her thoughts drifted to the last minor battle they had faced, when Jupiter had hurt her ankle slightly. It was a minor injury, thankfully, but it should have healed within a matter of seconds.

What hope did Mars have, now that there was a near gaping hole in her abdomen?

A soft groan from her arms caught her attention; she looked down to see her black eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. Her eyes were once again drawn to the cream colored sweater the girl was wearing, one of her own that she had loaned to her that morning, stained with crimson red blood. Mars had lost hold of her transformation after she had been wounded, making her look smaller, more fragile. She wasn't Mars anymore; she was just a wounded young woman, a seemingly innocent victim of violence.

"'Ruka," Rei whimpered, the word coming out of her mouth as nothing more than a whisper. "What's happening?" Her violet eyes had opened a bit, and she was terrified to see how dilated the pupils were, despite the bright sunlight of the afternoon.

"Hush, Reiko," she murmured, the endearment slipping from her lips without realization. "You're hurt. I have to get you to the hospital."

"I'm hurt?" she murmured, absently lifting the hand Haruka had draped across her abdomen when she'd gathered her in her arms. It was covered in blood, and Rei looked at it, seemingly entranced. "I'm bleeding?" she asked, genuinely confused.

She blinked away the sudden tears that leapt to her eyes. "Yes," she murmured simply through a suddenly constricted throat.

Rei looked at her hand again, her eyes unfocused. "Shit," she whimpered.

She almost wanted to laugh at the rare use of profanity from the miko, but she made a slight misstep while she was running, jostling the girl in her arms, causing her to become acutely aware of the amount of pain she was in. She bit out a scream, and the sound nearly broke Uranus' heart. She had never heard a noise like that come from anyone, much less from Rei. Apologies started spilling out of her mouth profusely.

"We're almost there; I promise," she whispered fiercely, finally spying the entrance to the hospital in the distance. She never remembered this park being this big; why had it taken her so long to get to the hospital? She felt more tears stinging at the back of her eyes and she wasn't sure she would be able to keep them from falling. Why couldn't she hold it together anymore? Rei _needed_ her; she didn't have time to throw herself a pity party. She was Sailor Uranus, Tenoh Haruka, known for her tenacity. She _had_ to get it together.

The closest entrance was the ambulance bay, and the bewildered nurse that was standing outside visibly jumped at her sudden arrival.

"Please," she gasped, suddenly out of breath, the exertion of her run finally catching up with her as her adrenaline levels began to drop. "She was attacked by a monster; she needs help, fast."

The nurse nodded, grabbing a nearby gurney where she placed Rei's shuddering form. The girl continued to cling to her, even when she tried to pull away. She leaned down, with her lips just brushing her ear. "Everything will be alright, Reiko," she murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I promise."

Rei merely nodded, gasping out a breath that ended in a whimper of pain. Uranus blinked away the tears that had once again formed in her eyes as she pulled her hand away, hating how she was forced to trust a complete stranger with such precious cargo. Sighing heavily, she turned to head back to the monster. They might need help finishing it off.

Not for the first time, she struggled to squash her personal feelings and let her sense of duty take control.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Mamoru sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. It had been a long shift, but thankfully he was just hours away from getting off. He had caught Ami's attention a while ago and shared lunch with the girl, getting more information on Zoi-Yoshikazu. It was interesting to see how he was still the same yet so different. He was anxious to be able to restore their memories and rekindle their companionship. If that was what they would even want; he still had no way of knowing how they would react.

He had experienced special relationships with all of his Shittenou. Kunzite had been like his older brother, silently watching and giving guidance whenever appropriate, and never judging him for his decisions and mistakes. As much as he had been the elder brother, Jadeite had certainly been the younger, wide-eyed and curious, always eager to learn from his King. Nephrite had been his companion in mischief, as they made frequent attempts to sneak from their respective castles to enjoy the nightlife of the towns.

His relationship with Zoisite had been much different than the ones he shared with the other Shittenou. Zoisite, though years younger than him, had wisdom that he knew he would never possess. Hell, he figured that Zoisite was even wiser than Kunzite, but no one would dare utter that to his second in command. Zoisite had been like his teacher, his mentor, and had constantly given him (usually unwanted) advice. He had always been able to help him sort through his own emotions to make the most logical decision. Whether or not he chose to take Zoisite's suggestions was another matter entirely, and in fact was the sole source of any conflict they had ever had.

Now that they were back, he was ready to have them remember their past. He hadn't realized how much he had missed their companionship until now.

Abruptly, his pager went off, and he read the code quickly, noticing that it signaled a trauma case that had come in. He sighed; traumas could be as simple as a child with a broken leg or as complicated as a multi-car accident. He hoped he wasn't going to be stuck at the hospital all night; he had promised to take Usagi out to dinner. She'd been feeling rather off lately, and he suspected that it had to do with her newfound pregnancy hormones.

He hastened his steps, hurrying toward the emergency room to see what it was that he had to deal with. He noticed a number of other doctors hurrying in the same direction, and he began to realize that this was not going to be a simple trauma case.

'Great,' he found himself thinking. 'Maybe there are enough doctors here for me to skip this one. Otherwise I'd better just cancel on Usako now.'

Yet his heart leapt into his throat as he neared the scene, noticing the nurse that was pulling the patient's long, ebony hair into a ponytail to move it out of the way.

'It couldn't be,' he thought as he neared the commotion. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the pained whimper that fell from her lips. He'd know that voice anywhere.

Within seconds, he had pushed his way through the gathering crowd to stand beside her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her face constricted in an expression of obvious pain. She was much too pale, even her lips had faded to an ashen shade of grey. Two nurses were working desperately to control bleeding from her abdomen. He cupped her cheek in his hand, alarmed at the coldness of her skin despite the sweat that coated her. She started at his touch, her eyes snapping open suddenly. Recognition flashed in her startled, violet orbs.

"Mamo-kun," she murmured. "It wasn't…her fault," she whispered, her voice halting, her words ending in a cough that spouted blood.

"Shhh," he soothed, pushing sweaty bangs from her face. "Relax, Reiko," he murmured, trying to keep his voice sounding calmer than he felt.

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's going to be alright," he said. She attempted to take a deep breath that dissolved into a mild coughing fit. He offered soothing words to her as well as she could.

What had happened?

From his pocket, he could feel the heavy weight of his pocket watch, the one that concealed the Golden Crystal. Just like with Makoto, it didn't seem to react at all, despite the fact that there was a very wounded Senshi within its range. Why wasn't the damned thing working now? The ability to heal the Senshi was one of the only things he could do in most battles, besides stunning the enemy with those blasted roses. If he couldn't even do that, what purpose did her serve?

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a nurse preparing her arm for the IV. The pinch of the needle didn't even faze her, and Mamoru noticed the way her eyes kept drifting shut, the way her breathing kept hitching in her throat.

"Reiko," he murmured, trying to get her to focus on him. She finally turned heavy lidded eyes in her direction, mouthing something that he couldn't hear. "Reiko, we're going to put you to sleep now. I won't leave you; everything is going to be fine."

At that, her eyes snapped open. "No," she murmured, repeating the word over and over again. He knew why; her mother had been placed in a medically induced coma after her accident, as had her grandfather after he suffered a heart attack, and neither of them had ever woken up. Rei was, understandably, terrified of hospitals, and he didn't want her to feel like she was going through this alone.

He looked up at the nurse, nodding to encourage her to continue. With a wary glance at her patient, she pushed the anesthetic into the IV stream. He knew that she would be gin to feel its effects in a matter of seconds.

A trembling hand reached up, searching for him, and he grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. Her eyelids started to droop and the rough staccato of her breaths began to even out, signaling that the drug was beginning to take effect. "You can't leave me," she whispered. "You promised."

He felt her grip on his hand lessen as her eyes slipped closed.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Her eyes kept drifting to the doorway, despite the fact that she needed to be taking notes on what the doctor was telling her patient. Once again, her pen stilled on the paper before one of the nurses nudged her, bringing her back to the task at hand.

Something was very, very wrong.

Nearly ten minutes ago, several doctors and nurses had rushed in the general direction of the emergency room. She had immediately checked her pager, hoping that perhaps she had been granted with some news as to what was happening. Sadly, she had received no messages, which hadn't surprised her; she was just a lowly intern after all. She hadn't even attended medical school yet.

Normally, this wouldn't faze her, but she couldn't get her mind off of what might be happening outside of this hospital room. This hospital room that she seemed to be trapped it. She hadn't remembered pre-op preparations taking this long. She wondered if this anxious, nervous feeling was how Rei felt all the time when she had a premonition or a vision. Mentally, she scoffed at herself. She barely believed in all of that psychic business anyway.

Suddenly, one of the younger nurses poked her head into the room. "I'm sorry, Oishasan (*doctor)," she said, looking rather nervous. "The operating room for your surgery was given to a trauma that just came in. You'll have to postpone."

Ami felt her blood boil a bit. She never managed to get into the operating room; most of the surgeries for her patients were scheduled outside of her working hours. This was finally one of the ones that she was going to get to be around for, and now it was going to be rescheduled, most likely later that evening, right after she left for the day. Because she hadn't finished medical school yet, she could only log a certain number of hours in a month, and there was no possibility or rearranging her hours.

The nurse's announcement effectively ended their meeting with the patient, and she clicked the chart closed with a bit more force than next time. The doctor, a rather kindly man, gave her a sympathetic look.

"Don't fret too much, Mizuno-san. You'll get your chance soon enough."

She sighed then and offered him a small smile. As annoyed as she was, she knew he was right. She did have plenty of time, and she knew that if he could, he would reschedule the surgery during one of her shifts.

Exiting the room, she decided to head toward the operating rooms. Because of her, the operating room they had booked for their patient had possessed a theater. The doctor had wanted her to have both vantage points available for her first surgery. If they really had moved the trauma into that room, she would at least get to see what was happening.

She was a little alarmed at how quiet the emergency wing of the hospital was as she passed through. Normally, it was abuzz with activity: children crying over broken bones, bored family members flipping through magazines, and the steady electric hum of the televisions. Now it seemed like she was walking through a vacuum, the silence prominent even though the room was full of people.

It unnerved her.

The theater was relatively empty by the time she reached it; only six other doctors were to be found. She spied Yoshikazu's familiar copper hair, and moved to sit next to him. The room below was filled with a number of surgeons, and for a moment she was unable to see anything through the commotion.

"What's going on down there?" she asked, startling him.

"Oh, hi Ami-san," he said, smiling warmly once he recognized her. "I'm not really sure. This girl came in on a trauma; they said a monster attacked her. A Senshi brought her in."

Ami felt cold fingers of dread curling around her stomach. She'd left her communicator in her locker.

"Chiba-san knows her or something," he said, pointing his finger in Mamoru's direction. "They're not letting him do anything but sit there." He was sitting close to the head of the patient, worriedly watching everything that was happening around him. A few of the extra doctors moved out of the way, and she saw the victim's abdomen, which was apparently ripped open. She wrinkled her nose in disgust; there was a lot of blood.

When the anesthesiologist that was blocking her view of the patient's head moved out of the way, her heart stopped.

They never had gotten along very well, despite their years of friendship, but Ami could have recognized her anywhere. The fingers around her stomach clinched and she found herself bursting out of the theater, luckily finding a nearby trashcan where she emptied the contents of her stomach.

What in the hell had she missed? None of them had ever been hurt that badly before; their crystals had always healed those kinds of wounds. An unfamiliar feeling on panic was creeping up on her as it became more and more evident that Mamoru and Rei's visions had been correct – they couldn't do this on their own.

Seconds later she felt Yoshikazu's arms turning her around to face him, and the intensity of his gaze unnerved her. Tears sprung forth from her eyes and she felt her legs going numb, but it didn't matter. His arms were around her in an instant, cradling her against him.

He had no idea what was coming. The thought saddened her immensely and she made to pull away from him, to keep him as uninvolved with her as possible, to keep him _innocent_, but he held fast.

Her tears redoubled, but it almost didn't matter because he was holding her close and whispering comforting things to her, just like he always used to, completely oblivious.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako covered the rather large, unladylike yawn with her biology book. Keitaro had poked fun at her for a bit for taking the freshman level class as a senior, not relenting even after she explained to him that it was one of her worst classes so she had to wait until a semester when Rei had some extra credits available to take it with her.

"Answer me this," he'd said, with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "how would you be able to function without her?"

She had stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm managing just fine on my own today, thank you very much."

He had laughed, a sound that had always been so rare in the past, but seemed to come easily now. She peeked over the top of her book, watching him intently as he graded a quiz. He still looked the same as he had before, well, save for the smile lines that crinkled around his eyes. His eyes were still the same pale grey, and although his hair was blond now, she could see the streaks of gray peaking through.

She knew something had to be different about him, though, because while he and Jiro looked different, they still resembled each other somehow. She couldn't remember that being the case in the Silver Millennium.

Her phone rang loudly from her bag, causing the both of them to jump. Thankfully, it didn't appear that he had noticed her staring. Reaching for it, she saw that it was Usagi's cell phone number.

"Hi Usagi-chan," she said, pepping up her voice even though she was feeling exhausted. She saw Keitaro's eyebrow rise in amusement, but she simply rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him once again. Once Usagi started speaking, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She couldn't make out what the other girl was saying. It was obvious that she was crying but she couldn't tell if the girl was actually scared or overly excited about something. The only words she could clearly make out were 'hospital' and 'Mamoru.' She sucked in a deep breath; was there something wrong with the baby?

"Wait," she said, trying to figure out what to do. "You're at the hospital with Mamoru-kun?" At this, Keitaro gave her a concerned look.

Usagi made some sounds that she took as the affirmative.

"Calm down, Usagi-chan. I'm on my way." She hung up the phone before the girl could say anything else.

Keitaro was watching her intently as she began to pack her things. "Is everything alright?"

She sighed heavily. "I don't know; she was crying. I can never tell the difference between her happy crying and her fake crying and her real crying. She said something about her husband though, and they just found out they're pregnant, so I guess it's something with the baby." She shrugged. "Sorry to bail on you."

Keitaro waved his hand dismissively. "I'd offer you a ride, but Jiro has the car across town again."

She offered him a small smile, bending down to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "You're sweet. I wouldn't worry though; I'm sure everything is fine."

She wasn't too far away from the hospital and it was a nice day out, so she decided to walk. She kept a brisk pace, wondering just what it was that awaited her at the hospital. Setsuna would have come to tell them if something really bad was going to happen to Chibiusa, she reasoned. Perhaps Usagi had gone in for her first sonogram and was excited. She really couldn't tell.

Worry gripped at her when she reached the waiting room and saw Usagi sitting there, her face buried against Makoto's chest. Ami was sitting next to her, her head hung low and cradled in her hands. Michiru was sitting with Hotaru, reading her a book of some sorts while Haruka paced nervously along the wall. Everyone was there except for…

"Where's Rei?" she asked, dismayed at how small her voice sounded. She heard a noise from behind her as all of the girls, except for Usagi looked up at her.

"I came as quick as I could. What happened?" She turned behind her to see Yuichirou's concerned expression. Panic clinched at her then. Rei had texted her not two hours ago; she had to be fine.

Ami stood and led Yuichirou over to a more secluded part of the waiting room to speak with him. She went to follow them, but someone grabbed her arm, pulling her in a different direction. She looked beside her to see Haruka, with an unreadable expression on her face.

She pulled her into a bathroom, locking the door behind them. Minako swallowed thickly, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she had to say.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

They had been at the hospital for six hours. That meant that Rei had been in surgery for nearly seven hours. At some point, Yuichirou had been called back to donate some blood, because they were worried about running out during her surgery, and Yuichirou had donated blood for her once before. Yoshikazu had come by with coffee for Ami, and upon seeing all of her friends with her, he returned with a warm cup for each of them. She couldn't even bother with being surprised or impressed with seeing him again because she was so crippled with worry. Makoto had taken Usagi home a while ago, worried that she would be too hysterical while sitting around at the hospital with nothing to do and that it would be too stressful for Chibiusa. Haruka hadn't stopped pacing since they had come back into the waiting room, and she knew it was because she was blaming herself. Hotaru had fallen asleep, her head cushioned in Michiru's lap as the older woman stroked at her hair, her expression completely blank.

Keitaro had called her a number of times, but she hadn't had the energy to answer him. All she wanted was for Mamoru to walk out of the operating room to tell them that everything was going to be all right. Even better, she wanted to wake up and find out that this was all some horrible dream.

From beside her, Rei's phone went off. It was the first time it had all afternoon, ever since she had come to sit by the girl's bag that Haruka had recovered from the park bench where she had left it. The text message icon was blinking along with Jiro's name, and her heart skipped a beat.

What would happen to him? What if she died and Jiro blamed himself? Could he have even saved her if he'd had his memories back? She could picture all of them, together as couples, with Jiro sitting alone. She shook her head to clear the haunting image. She needed to send positive thoughts to Rei and nothing else.

She couldn't _do_ anything else.

She kept staring at the phone, wondering if she should tell him what was going on. They were friends, weren't they? She sighed. Other than knowing that he'd kissed her last night to make his ex jealous, she didn't know anything about what was going on between the two of them. She hadn't even asked; she'd been too busy going on about herself and Keitaro.

She bit her lip, as if punishing herself for her self-loathing.

No, she couldn't tell him. Not yet. Still, she wanted to know what he had texted her about. What if they had plans for that evening and he was wondering why she didn't show up? She'd have to make some sort of excuse for her, then. She didn't want him to worry. Finally, she ended her internal debate, and reached for the phone, clicking to view his text.

"I'm really sorry about last night. It wasn't fair to you and I feel awful. Maybe we can have coffee again? I promise not to spoil it this time."

She couldn't think of anything to say, so she stuffed the phone back into Rei's bag, hiding it from her view entirely. This whole situation was just so _wrong_. They weren't supposed to be able to get hurt like this. Their crystals were supposed to protect them during simple little battles. Why weren't they able to heal themselves? She sighed again, letting her head fall back to rest against the wall behind her. She let her eyes slip closed but refused to sleep. She was exhausted, but she would be damned if she didn't stay awake for Rei's sake.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she head Ami's whispered, "Mamoru-kun," but her eyes snapped open immediately. The man looked completely exhausted, his red-rimmed eyes had large, puffy bags under them, and his shoulders seemed to sag more than she had ever seen them before. She chose to ignore the numerous splotches of blood that adorned his scrubs.

She held her breath, completely unaware that she was doing so. A quick glance at Haruka showed that the taller woman was feeling the same. After what seemed like an eternity, Mamoru finally spoke.

"She's going to be okay."

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

He sighed as the nurses finally left, having set her up in the hospital bed that would be her home for the next few weeks. He glanced behind him, checking Yuichirou's vital signs from the nearby bed where he rested. The man had given probably more blood that he should have been allowed, and Mamoru knew it would take a few days rest before he was back on his feet completely.

He turned his attention back on her, brushing some stray pieces of hair out of her face. He'd wanted to believe that he let all of his feelings for her go when he'd married Usagi, but he knew he hadn't. It had been so evident the first time her heart had stopped while they were operating.

He hadn't realized how much he loved her until he thought he had lost her for good.

They had managed to revive her, but her heart stopped again, just moments later, and the panic within him almost won control. He had cried, whispering to her, right into her ear, telling her how important she was to him, how he couldn't stand to loose her, and all the while the deafening, single tone of the heart rate monitor had mocked him.

He hadn't even operated on her and he felt just as tired as the surgeons who had. No wonder the hospital had rules about performing surgery on your family and friends.

Now, he sat silently and listened to the steady pulses coming from the heart rate monitor, reveled in the steady, albeit shallow breaths that passed over her lips. She was alive, and he knew that this injury wouldn't be the end of her.

Yes, she was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain when she woke up. Yes, she was going to have a long road of recovery ahead of her. But none of that seemed to matter as he sat with her, one hand clutching hers and the other gently toying with her hair.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing a releasing his hold on her. He needed to give the girls the good news.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Woohoo! There's chapter nine! Sorry, it's a bit longer than I usually go, but I wanted to get all of this stuff out in one chapter. Chapter ten is in the works and should be coming your way soon!


	10. Gathering Forces

AN – Sorry that this has taken me so long to get up here! I've been going through a rough patch in life and my writing took a bit of a backseat. Hopefully I'll be able to write a lot more now!

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of the reviews and comments that you all leave for me! I read every single one of them, and I try to shoot everyone a personal reply, but I'm a bit behind at the moment. Just know that I truly appreciate all of your comments and support! You guys are the best.

Warnings: Nothing too graphic in this chapter, just some naughty language.

I still don't own Sailormoon.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

Chapter 10: Gathering Forces

_A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes_

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

He really shouldn't have yelled.

At the time, it had felt right, good even. He was angry that this had even happened. He was angry at Usagi for not listening to him, for not staying away from the fighting like they'd all told her to. He was angry at Rei, for, yet again, throwing herself in front of Usagi and risking her life as though it were worth nothing. More than anything, he was angry with himself and his crystal for not being able to help her, for his brief moments of panic, and his stupid, insignificant feelings for her popping up once again.

But now, sitting in the dimly lit resident rest area on a rather uncomfortable cot and looking at his wife with her eyes glimmering with yet more tears, shoulders shaking uncontrollably, he knew. It had felt so, so good to release all of his pent up emotion, but he shouldn't have yelled. Not at her. No matter what she thought, it hadn't been her fault.

Rei had told him so.

He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself down so that he could speak to her the way he knew he should. No yelling. No blaming. He tried to come up with the words to make her feel better, to make the tears stop, but none came. Instead, he pulled her into his arms rather abruptly, not caring that he was probably squeezing her too tightly. After a split second of seeming shock, her arms grasped at him almost desperately as silent sobs shook her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she was murmuring, over and over again; his heart broke more with each repetition. Why had he yelled at her, blamed her? He surely was, as Rei had told him a number of times, a colossal idiot.

"Stop it," he whispered, his voice harsh sounding from his earlier outburst. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's not your fault…" he said, pausing when she exhaled a deep sob. "You were doing what you thought was right; you saved that woman."

"But what if she dies, Mamo-chan? Again. Because of me."

His throat constricted, and he suddenly felt like he was gasping for breath. "She won't," he whispered, promising himself as much as her. "She's going to be fine."

He felt her nod against his chest, taking deep breaths to try and get herself under control. They stayed like that for quite some time, silently drawing strength from one another. It was a while before he realized that she had fallen asleep. Gently, he laid her down on the cot they had been sitting on, covering her with a nearby blanket.

He resisted the sudden, strong urge to curl up next to her. He was exceptionally tired given the day's events, but he really wanted to check in with Rei's doctor and see how she was doing, perhaps even sit in with her for a while. He was worried; he couldn't imagine what things would be like if she didn't pull through.

Would she just die, and be gone? She had died before, but it had always been during battle with the other Senshi, and the Silver Crystal had always brought her back. Now everything seemed wrong; the crystals weren't working the way they had before, and that made his vision seem even more terrifying. Is that why they couldn't win? We're their planets failing them?

What would happen to the Senshi? He doubted the rest of them realized it, but Rei was essentially the glue that held them all together.

Her calm, quiet demeanor easily balanced Usagi's over-exuberance. Her spirituality, although it occasionally clashed with Ami's love of logic and rationale, usually helped to give the bluenette a different perspective on things. She and Makoto had bonded over the loss of their parents, and he knew that Rei was the only one Makoto had trusted implicitly with the details of her parent's demise.

Then there was Minako, who Mamoru knew could barely function without Rei. He didn't fully understand their friendship and seemingly mutual dependence on one another, but he knew they were something like kindred spirits, able to understand and relate to each other with very minimal effort. They'd been like that even during the Silver Millennium, at least from what he could remember of it. Some of the most tense and unfavorable times with the Senshi were when Rei and Minako had gotten into an argument and were tense with one another.

Rei was the only one who'd really formed a friendship with the Outers. In their last battles, they had been wary of Usagi and her guardians. He wasn't sure how, but she and Haruka had struck up a friendship and was welcomed into the Outers circle of trust. Based on how Haruka was acting earlier, she was blaming herself from what had happened. He'd managed to figure out that it had been Haruka who had suggested a nice stroll around the park to help Rei take her mind off of things.

She and Minako had posted up in Rei's room, refusing to leave her alone for the night. He had to admire their dedication; he knew first hand how uncomfortable those so-called "lounge" chairs were.

Sighing, he slipped from the room as quietly as he could, sliding the "do not disturb" sign over as he left. He knew how much Usagi needed her rest, and he made a mental note to schedule an appointment for her to get Chibiusa checked out in the morning.

He easily flagged down Dr. Ohishi near the vending machines, looking complete exhausted. He couldn't blame the man; eight hours of trauma surgery would have had him drooling on the floor and sleeping for days.

"Thank you again for letting me sit in on her surgery," he said, announcing his presence and getting the attention of his much-respected colleague. "I know that wasn't exactly protocol."

The older man simple shook his head dismissively, offering him a genuine smile. "Don't mention it, Chiba. I know she's like family to you. I would have done the same thing."

"How is she?" he asked, grateful for the man's understanding.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Well, she is stable, but still in critical condition. We'll have to keep her in the coma for a few days and see how she starts to heal. She'll heal better if she's not moving around and potentially tearing some of the internal stitches." He clapped a hand on Mamoru's shoulder when he saw the other man's concerned expression. "Don't worry too much about it, Chiba. I'm confident that she'll make a full recovery. There are just a lot of unknown variables that come with an injury like this."

Mamoru nodded; he had been thinking along those same lines, but it still was a scary situation. She had been incredibly lucky that she had gotten hit where she did. Her liver had sustained most of the damage. Any higher and she would be sitting on a transplant list for a new lung, and any lower would have shredded her intestines, and probably would have acquired a fatal infection from the damage. Her liver would be able to repair itself in time, but they had still placed her on a transplant list as a low priority in case she experienced any complications during her recovery.

He sighed. He couldn't even begin to image what kind of recovery she was in for when she woke up. He knew she wasn't going to be a good patient either, given her general hatred of hospitals and medicine and her inability to actually relax and not overwork herself.

He thanked Dr. Ohishi and ventured off in the general direction of Rei's room, intending to check in with Minako and Haruka and at least sit with the miko for a while. It also couldn't hurt to see how Yuichirou was doing; he had donated a lot of blood after all. He was just nearing her room when he suddenly hesitated. He knew that Rei wasn't alone right now, that she had two of her closest friends sitting with her, keeping watch over her.

She wasn't alone. She didn't need him right now. But Usagi did.

Without even glancing into her room, he headed back to the rest area to be with his wife.

.oO0Oo.

This just wasn't fair.

One of the things she loved most about their friendship was how comforting and reassuring she always was, even when she was struggling with something herself. One of the simplest ways she did so was with a calming squeeze of her hand. She even did it subconsciously, in her sleep if she reached for her.

So now, Minako sat holding Rei's hand in her own, waiting for the squeeze she almost thought would never come, completely despondent.

Still, she couldn't stop staring at their hands. Looking somewhere else meant that she'd have to see Rei laying in a rather uncomfortable looking cot, skin deathly pale with the faintest hint of yellow from her damaged organs, and oxygen mask harnessed on her face and more tubes than she cared to count sticking out of her arms. What was worse was how small she looked, completely fragile. Even when facing death Rei was always brave, comforting her friends first, not concerned about her own safety.

She just couldn't process the entire day's events; to think that her morning had started out with her being pissed off that Rei hadn't hung around for breakfast. She'd sent some less than nice text messages, and it killed her to think that those might be the last things that Rei ever heard from her. She knew that their friendship was stronger than that, and that Rei probably hadn't even cared that she was rude in the first place, but it was still upsetting her.

What made it worse was that she hadn't gotten the call. They'd called Ami and Makoto for help, but not her.

"Why didn't you call me?"

She hadn't realized that she had spoken until Haruka shifted from across the bed, clearing her throat quietly. Minako almost jumped; she had nearly forgotten the other woman was there.

"She had a vision of you getting hurt," she said, her voice rough from disuse. "She said she kept having the same one, and it was either you or Usagi who got hurt, so she was trying to keep you out of harms way." She sat up a bit in her chair, slouching forward. "That was why she came to our house; she was so paranoid that just being near to two of you would put you in danger."

Minako sighed, bringing her eyes up to study her best friend's face. "When did you stop telling me these things anyway?"

Haruka gave her a soft smile, reaching across to pat her shoulder. "At least she's telling someone, instead of keeping everything to herself."

Minako offered a small smile, swallowing the jealousy that would normally pop up in situations like this. "I guess you're right." As much as she didn't want to admit that Rei had more close friends that just her, she knew it was true, and when she was honest with herself she was completely grateful.

"It wasn't your fault, you know," she said quietly, tired of seeing the other woman fuming with herself. "We all knew this battle was coming sooner or later."

Haruka cracked a small smile. "And we all know Rei's too stubborn to sit back and let her friends get hurt."

Behind her, she heard Yuichirou groan quietly; finally waking up after donating so much blood to the girl he loved as his own sister. Minako rose on creaking legs to go and sit beside him for a bit, hoping to provide him with some sort of explanation as to what had happened. Haruka sighed as she did so, pulling her legs up to hug them against her chest, silently watching the little blips as they passed on the heart rate monitor.

.oO0Oo.

Kaneko Norio was pleasantly surprised to see that his new favorite bakery was in fact open at six in the morning as he headed off to a meeting with Senator Hino. He resisted the urge to grin as he pushed through the door, the chime pleasantly announcing his entrance.

Now, if only his new favorite pastry chief would show herself.

He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her attention as he surveyed the treats in front of him. His eyebrows promptly rose as he took into account the sheer number of treats that were resting just beyond the glass. There were at least twice as many as there had been the day before, piles and piles of them had been added.

A moment later, Makoto poked her head out of the back, looking as though she hadn't slept in weeks. She regarded him with a confused expression, as if wondering why in the world he was in her shop at such an early hour.

"Have you been up all night baking?" he asked, acutely aware of how stupid his voice sounded.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, her tone a slight bit harsh.

Dumbly, he pointed at the door, and idly wondered what it was about this woman that seemed to take away his ability to create clear and intelligent conversation.

A dark blush spread across her cheeks. "Shit, I forgot to lock up."

"So, does this mean I can't get some breakfast?"

She forced a laugh, bringing a hand up to push her bangs out of her eyes, and really only succeeded in filling her hair with flour. "Of course you can," she murmured, brushing her hands against her apron and unsuccessfully blowing her hair out of her eyes. "What would you like?"

He bit the inside of his cheek, looking at her closely. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She rolled her eyes at him, cocking one hand on her hip. "Yes. I have a big catering deal this evening and I'm just trying to get a head start."

He really didn't believe her, and it was clear that she wasn't going to tell him what was going on any time soon. He tried to ignore how irritated that small fact made him feel by reminding himself that they'd only been on one date. As politely as possible, he chose his overly sugared pastry and paid for it. As soon as she'd handed him his change, however, she turned and went into the back room once again.

Her behavior shocked him quite a bit, and he stood there for a moment, wondering if she was going to say anything else. After a moment, her finally muttered a 'goodbye' before heading back outside.

He grumbled, taking a deep breath to clear his head. He had a huge day ahead of him, and he didn't need to be worrying about a woman who clearly had no interest in him at the moment. Still, he couldn't shake the disappointed feeling nagging at him. She was different from all the other girls he had been with before, and he had hoped to see her again. He shook his head, digging into his pocket to check his cell phone.

Senator Hino was not a man he liked to keep waiting.

.oO0Oo.

Ami sighed, hopping out of the shower and trying to dry her hair off as fast as possible. She had immediately gone to the pool after her shift ended, desperate to avoid Yoshikazu. He had been beyond compassionate while they were waiting to hear about Rei's condition, but she knew she had made a complete fool of herself in the operating theatre. She'd managed to make it through her entire shift without seeing him, fortunately enough, but her nerves were completely shot. Swimming had certainly helped, but she had missed Minako's text message calling for an emergency meeting at their apartment.

She was doubtful that it had anything to do with Rei; she'd checked out the girl's file before she left the hospital and nothing had been out of the ordinary. Perhaps there had been another attack, but she doubted that as well. She had kept her communicator at all times after the last one.

She dressed quickly, not bothering to dry her hair, and called Minako quickly to let her know that she was on her way. A mere ten minutes later, and she found herself knocking on the door, ignoring the nauseous feeling pulling at her stomach.

She hated this. They were supposed to be done; they'd already saved the world, more times than she cared to remember. This was their time to liv their lives freely, and it was all crumbling down. Crystal Tokyo would happen before she even got started in medical school, and she'd never live out her dream to be a doctor.

She took a deep breath, trying to clear out her thoughts. It wouldn't help anyone if she felt depressed. They'd known all along what their destiny was; it was high time that she accepted it. Mamoru opened the door, looking completely warn, and offered her a genuine, albeit small, smile.

Glancing around the room, she took in the faces of the other girls. Usagi looked completely devastated, eyes still red and swollen from crying even now, a full day after they'd found out Rei was going to recover. Makoto looked downright pissed, and she made the mental note to suggest that she go to the gym to burn off her frustrations as soon as she could. Minako's expression was eerily stern, something they only saw on the eve of battle, completely focused and emotionless.

"So, what's going on?" she asked, settling herself onto the couch next to Usagi, who simply shrugged.

"Well, you all know that I've been spending a lot of time with Kei-Kunzite lately," Minako said flatly, causing a miniscule shiver to run up Ami's spine. It had been so long since she'd heard the girl use that tone. "I was with him when I got Usagi-chan's call, so he knew I was going to the hospital for some reason or another." She sighed then, biting her lip slightly. "He's been texting me a lot since yesterday afternoon, and I couldn't figure out what to say." She glanced down at her phone, staring at in intently.

"I told him that everything was fine and invited him and Ji-Jadeite to a friendly dinner tomorrow night. You need to get Nephrite and Zoisite to come too."

Ami sighed softly in shock. "You mean to tell them everything?" Makoto had a similar worried expression.

Minako nodded, her expression turning grim. "I don't want to; I don't want them to have to give up their lives for this, but we don't have a choice. If Rei and Mamoru's visions were correct, and we all know they usually are, we don't have much time."

She sank back into the couch, looking up at Mamoru. "How are we going to give them proof? They're not going to believe us."

"I know," Mamoru said, his tone quiet. "We can use the Silver Crystal to show them, just like how Luna and Artemis used to do for you guys."

"This sucks," Makoto said, blunt as ever. "Do we even know why this is happening?"

Minako shook her head. "Michiru-san and Haruka-san have been trying to get in touch with Pluto, but they haven't been able to."

"Do you think there's trouble in the future?" Ami asked, and Minako simply shrugged. "Whenever things aren't going as planned here the future seems to be at risk. A tiny change here would mess up everything."

"We still don't even know who's behind these attacks," Mamoru chimed in. "We don't know why and we don't know what they want. We don't know anything." He said, his voice beginning to sound frustrated.

"It's only a matter of time," Minako said glumly. "We'll know what they're after sooner or later."

.oO0Oo.

"I told you she didn't hate you," Keitaro said, nudging his brother slightly. He'd been so relieved to hear back from Minako after she'd bolted out of his office, and listening to Jiro mope about how he shouldn't have used the miko to make Miyako jealous had not improved his mood.

Jiro gave him a rather sour look. "And how would you know? She hasn't said anything to me for two days."

Keitaro rolled his eyes, waving his phone by his face. "Because Minako-san dropped her phone into the lake and she hasn't gotten a new one yet."

Jiro's face significantly brightened, but he still looked a bit bummed. "That just means she _couldn't_ talk to me. She probably still doesn't want to."

Keitaro smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Quit moping so much, idiot. Would she have invited us _both_ to dinner at their apartment tomorrow if she hated you?" He rolled his eyes at the mildly dopey grin that spread across his brother's face. "Didn't realize I had a lovesick little sister nowadays," he jeered, quickly vacating the living room before he could retaliate.

As soon as his brother was gone, he allowed himself to sigh in relief. He had been really worried that he had blown things. He hadn't really been able to sort out the feelings he had for the girl, being so fresh from his breakup with Miyako, but he knew that there was something special about her. Besides that, she had been astoundingly kind to him, a complete stranger, although his suspected that it was just out of respect to Minako. Plus, she was quite pretty and had a very interesting life so far. If nothing else, he wanted to get to know her better, to be friends with her, and he hated that he had almost ruined that possibility.

He smiled to himself, settling back down on the couch and attempting to turn his attention back to the television, well aware of the stupid grin that wasn't fading from his lips.

.oO0Oo.

Makoto sighed, tuning the business card over in her hands, revealing the personal cell phone number that was scrawled on the back. She doubted Norio would even answer her call; she had been a colossal bitch to him that morning. She glanced at the clock, wondering if it was too late in the evening to call him. It was nearly ten o'clock, and she knew that she probably should have attempted to call him before she took Ami's advice and went on a marathon gym session.

She did feel worlds better though.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number, assuming that if he were sleeping he would just ignore her call and no harm would be done. If anything, she really wanted to apologize for how she had acted that morning.

He picked up after one ring, sounding exhausted and frustrated, and she immediately questioned her decision to call him.

"Hi, Norio-san," she said, ignoring the shaking in her voice. "It's Makoto."

"Oh, hello," he said, sounding a tad bit more annoyed, causing a her to feel a fresh splash of guilt.

"I'm really sorry about this morning," she said quietly. "There's just been some…stuff going on lately, and I wasn't really handling it well. I shouldn't have been so rude to you."

She heard him sigh heavily, and she subconsciously bit at her lip, wondering if he was going to be too annoyed with her for him to come to the dinner tomorrow. She'd be damned if she was the one who held up this whole operation; she knew with Rei and Usagi both out of commission that they needed the Shittenou, as much as it sucked that they had to bring back their memories.

"It's fine, Makoto-san," he said, sounding particularly wary. "I could tell there was something more going on than a catering event, but it's not my business to pry at you."

She chewed her lip for a moment, trying to figure out a way to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them.

"Look," he said suddenly, "it's not a big deal; don't worry about it. We all have bad days."

"It sounds like you're having one right now," she said, the words slipping out of her mouth before she realized it.

He chuckled dryly. "You should tell your friend Rei-san that her father can be a real pain in the ass," he muttered, and Makoto couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Oh, trust me. She knows," she said, glad that the tension between them had broken.

"Listen, I was –"

"So what are you –"

They both started talking at the same time, causing Makoto to laugh again. She knew it wasn't terribly hilarious, but it felt so good to laugh.

"Are you busy right now?" Norio asked, his tone sounding much lighter than before. "Maybe we could go out and grab some drinks?"

She hoped he couldn't hear her sigh of relief. Going out for drinks gave her the opportunity to ask him to dinner tomorrow, and she could only hope he would accept. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips.

"I'd love to."

.oO0Oo.

"Ami-san!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn't have to work that morning since she usually had class, but she had headed to the hospital anyway in an attempt to locate Yoshikazu. She'd barely stepped into the building before he had spotted her.

She smiled, offering him a small wave as he approached. "I didn't see your name on the schedule for today," he said, smiling brightly. "I tried to find you yesterday but I guess I kept missing you."

"Oh, yea," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Sorry, I was really swamped yesterday."

"I was going to find Chiba-san to see how you were doing," he said, his tone mildly concerned. "I heard that your friend is doing really well. They're already impressed at how quickly she's healing."

"I know; Mamoru-kun called me this morning to let me know."

"So what are you doing here? Most people can't wait to get out of here, and you just keep coming right back."

She gave him a genuine smile. "Actually, I was looking for you," she said, hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she thought she did. "Some friends of mine are having a dinner together tonight. Mamoru-kun and his wife will be there, and I was wondering if you might like to join me?"

He tapped his finger to his head, feigning thought. "I don't know, Ami-san. This is all so sudden!" For a moment, she panicked, but then his face broke into a wide grin. "I'm kidding; of course I'll come along with you. You're not friends with a bunch of crazies though are you?"

She laughed lightly. "Depends on your definition of crazy," she said. "Come by my apartment around six?" she said, flashing him a genuine smile.

"Sure. Look, I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you then."

She nodded, finding it difficult to speak. She was relieved that he was coming, but a part of her felt immensely sad. She wished they'd never had to bring them back; she was dreading this dinner more than anything in her life.

.oO0Oo.

Makoto had showed up right on time, carting in an entire plastic tub of food that she was ready to heat up for the evening's events. Minako stood in the corner of the kitchen, watching her with great interest, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"You're hung over," she said bluntly, resisting the urge to laugh. Maybe it was because of everything that was going on, but it felt good to find the humor in something.

"Yea, yea," she grumbled, tossing some pans of food into the oven before placing some other dishes into the refrigerator. "Look, I got him to come tonight."

"Mmhmm, I'll bet you did. What else happened last night?" Minako teased, peering over her shoulder to see what else he had brought to eat.

"Oh shut up, Mina-chan," she said, giving the blond a dirty look. "I kissed him and went home and slept in my own bed."

Minako raised her eyebrow. "Alone?"

The dark blush that spread across her cheeks gave her the answer she wanted. "Nothing happened!" Makoto protested. "I swear. We were just talking and we fell asleep. Besides, I'm betting that you've slept with Kunzite at least twice by now."

Minako pretended to be offended, but she knew that her more promiscuous days in high school and the Silver Millennium preceded her. "Not once, actually," she said, shrugging slightly. "I didn't want to get to involved since he's probably going to hate me sooner or later."

Makoto patted her shoulder softly, pulling out a bottle of wine. "I guess we'll find out tonight."

A knock sounded from the living room, and Minako pulled away to open it, relieving Keitaro and Jiro, brandishing a delicious looking cake. She introduced them to Makoto, who delightedly took the cake into the kitchen.

"So, where's Rei-san?" Jiro asked after a moment, looking around the apartment like a nervous puppy.

Minako cleared the sudden lump that formed itself in her throat and smiled brightly. "Yuichirou-kun needed her to help out at the Shrine for a bit; she'll be here shortly," she said, the rehearsed lie slipping easily from her lips.

"Is she mad about what happened?" he asked, and for a moment Minako looked confused. She'd almost completely forgotten about the kiss incident.

"Oh, of course not. She was going to call you, but then I started teasing her and dropped her phone in the lake," she said, laughing slightly and attempting to blush. Keitaro was giving her a strange look, almost as though he could see through her story, and she felt herself beginning to panic. Fortunately, Mamoru and Usagi came through the door at that moment, and after some hasty introductions she bolted back into the kitchen.

Makoto immediately handed her a glass of wine, one of many on the serving tray that she had prepared to take outside, that she immediately accepted and downed.

"Relax, Mina-chan," she said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Keep it together." The blond nodded, refilling her wine glass and heading out of the kitchen behind her.

Norio, Ami, and Yoshikazu were arrive as they reentered, and Minako found herself taking a nervous breath as she locked eyes with Usagi. In a few moments, once everyone was settled, she and Mamoru would retreat to the kitchen as planned and restore their memories. She settled herself on the arm of the chair that Keitaro was sitting on, casually throwing her arm around his shoulder.

"Having fun?" she asked idly, and he smiled lightly, shaking his head at her. "We just got here," he said, laughing a bit. She planted a kiss on his cheek, smiling brightly when Jiro rolled his eyes at her.

She zoned out a bit as everyone introduced himself or herself, twirling a lock of her hair nervously. She noticed how Jiro's eyes kept drifting toward the door, and how Norio's hand had settled itself comfortably on Makoto's thigh. Yoshikazu and Mamoru were talking animatedly about something, and Ami kept laughing at along with them. Keitaro's hand had started rubbing light circles on her lower back, and she found the small motion to be incredibly comforting.

After a few moments of casual conversation, Usagi and Mamoru politely excused themselves to the kitchen. She caught Makoto's nervous gaze and offered her a reassuring smile, despite how quickly her heart had started to race.

"What the hell is that?" Norio asked, gesturing toward the kitchen, where a bright, silvery light had begun to shine. Suddenly, the light illuminated the entire room, blinding everyone inside. Minako heard a glass fall on the coffee table and break before Keitaro's arm suddenly fell away from her back and his head fell to rest on her arm.

As quickly as the light came, it faded, revealing the four men lying around the room, unconscious.

Minako took a deep breath to steady herself and Ami exhaled a soft sob. Without a word, Makoto stood up, moving around the room to collect the dropped glasses and readjust the seemingly sleeping men.

Minako and Ami soundlessly rose to help her, bring the room back to some semblance of order. Once they were finished, Minako leaned heavily against the wall, he eyes never leaving Keitaro's face.

"Now we just wait?" she asked, and Ami just nodded.

"Now we wait," Makoto murmured, chewing on her thumb nervously.

.oO0Oo.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that there's not a lot going on in here; I've had some monster writer's block with this story lately. Please read and review! You guys rock.


	11. Memories

AN – Oh me, oh my, here comes a whopper of a chapter. Sorry this took so long to get posted. I wasn't happy with a couple of the memories, so I redid them. Anyway, this entire chapter is flashback to the Silver Millennium. There are three mildly stupid memories for each Shittenou that probably don't make a lot of sense because I am overly imaginative and ineffective at explaining the things that I come up with in my head.

This chapter is about twice as long as I usually go (23 pages in Word, hot damn), so hopefully it will make up for my slow updates here lately. Enjoy! Please remember to read and review. I honestly read each and every one and I love hearing from you!

For reference:

Anime Name (Age) – Silver Millennium Name (Meaning) – Silver Millennium Title  
>Hino Rei (21) – Himochi (Fire caused by War) – Kasei-hime<br>Aino Minako (22) – Kyousei (Lovely Voice) – Kinsei-hime  
>Mizuno Ami (22) – Koori (Ice) – Suisei-hime<br>Kino Makoto (22) – Rakurai (Thunderbolt) – Mokusei-hime

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

Chapter 11: Memories

_A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes_

.0.o..0.o.0.

He could feel the ever-critical eyes of his father boring into his back as he spared with the young soldier. He'd known as soon as the match had begun that he would be outwitted, out powered. In front of him was a young man who had seen the horrors of war in the borderlands, who had survived when so many others had not, and was then chose to spar against the Crown Prince, the future King of the Middle East.

Normally, these simple sparring matches were held in the field around the barracks, but this one had to be presented as something special. They were currently battling one another in the King's throne room, with all of the court present and ready to criticize.

He tried to come up with a plan as he dodged another attacking, parrying the blow with his sword.

If he lost, the court would undoubtedly question his ability to lead troops if (and more likely when) the fighting reached their lands. If he won, he would disgrace a decorated and beloved soldier of his kingdom. Neither alternative seemed particularly appealing, and he new he needed a new idea.

As the soldier rushed another attack at him, he noticed something that he hadn't before. He limped on his left leg, quite heavily, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. A plan formed itself in his mind, and he immediately set to carrying it out.

With swiftness not common of royalty, he leapt forward, artfully dodging the soldier's blow. As he passed the befuddled boy, he swung his leg out, delivering an unforgiving kick to the boy's leg, sending him to the ground in a crumpled pile. He turned immediately, appearing that he was going to claim victory by pressing his drawn sword to the soldier's throat, but instead extended his arm, pulling him up.

The members of court began to applaud, smiling at their prince appraisingly. He felt a small swell of pride in his chest; he had won, but had managed to keep from disgracing the soldier. The boy smiled at him as well, clasping his hands, his eyes showing the appreciation he obviously felt. It had been a cheap shot, yes, but battle necessitated finding and exploiting his enemy's weaknesses.

His eyes caught his father's, and he felt his pride dwindle.

The overcritical man was watching him with a disproving gleam in his eyes, and he was already starting to dread the upcoming conversation with him. Inwardly, he sighed; there was no pleasing that man, and he had come to accept that a long time ago. He had just finished congratulating the soldier and clapping him on the back when his father called out to him.

"I'd like to have a word with you, son." His tone was neutral, and he doubted that anyone else in the throne room could pick up on his obvious disappointment.

Excusing himself, he exited the throne room, into a smaller conference chamber where his father had disappeared. He closed the door behind him, silently bracing himself for the man's expected fury.

"How do you think you fared in that battle, Kunzite?"

He sighed almost silently, reminding himself to stay calm. "I believe I was victorious, father," he said, noticing the crease that formed on his father's forehead.

"You may have been victorious, but you did not claim so."

He sighed, walking to stand in front of the small window in the room, watching the sands roll with the wind. "I did not feel it appropriate to dishonor such a decorated soldier of the Far East."

At that, his father's visage softened, almost imperceptibly, but he didn't see it. "You always have had a knack for strategizing. I would have preferred to see you claim your victory. There is no place for softness on the battlefield."

He sighed, his eyes subconsciously drifting to the borderlands, where the evil infiltrating Endymion's lands threatened to spill over. Behind all of his father's bluster and disapproval, he knew that the man was worried. War was becoming inevitable for their realm; it had already spread to Europe.

"I am confident that I will be suitable for the battlefield, father. I know how to separate real battles for this insignificant sparring matched."

He felt his father place and comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "You will be a great general, Kunzite, when Endymion calls on you. And when my time is finished, you will be a great king." His tone had grown wistful, something that the younger man noticed and smiled at slightly.

"Dear father, you seem to be going soft as well."

.0..0...0..0.

He groaned in frustration, rubbing his temples tiredly with his hands as Jadeite once again toppled Nephrite in their sparring. He was getting rather tired of the two of them. Jadeite, with his youthful ambition, and Nephrite, with his ever-increasing arrogance were proving to be difficult to train. He never thought he would prefer Zoisite and his shockingly poor skills with a sword to the two of them.

Nephrite let loose a slew of profanities just as Jadeite's eyes sought him out, looking for some sort of reassurance, some sort of sign that he had done well.

He sighed. Jadeite, along with his father, had literally fought for everything he had. When he was just an infant, the current King of the Far East had killed his predecessor and usurped the kingdom as a foreigner. Surely, the people of the Far East hated the golden haired King and his presumably illegitimate son, but Jadeite never let it rest. He was constantly trying to prove himself to his people and be a good prince. His upcoming nuptials to the Martian witch-queen certainly didn't help either, but that was King Aethlius' doing.

He gave the young man a slight nod, and noticed how his face visibly relaxed in relief.

"That's enough for today," he said flatly, waving his hand to dismiss them. "Nephrite, I need to have a word with you."

The dark haired man scowled, and he could already tell that he was going to hate this conversation. Nephrite was an excellent general, and he was able to lead his troops into battle successfully, but he was prone to making rash decisions, just as he had in this simple sparring match.

"You underestimated him," he said simply, fixing the older man with a stern gaze. It wasn't often that he needed to reprimand his fellow generals, and it always left a sour feeling in his stomach.

"He's never been that good before," Nephrite replied, his tone indicating that he was not going to agree with him anytime soon. "Based on my knowledge of the battlefield and of my opponent, I gauged his talents appropriately."

"Nephrite," he started, but was immediately cut off.

"I'm sure he was just having a rough day, Kunzite," Endymion interrupted from behind him. He turned to look at his commander, resisting the urge to smirk when he saw the color drain from Nephrite's face. "But having a rough day on the battlefield could cost you your life, or the life of your men."

Nephrite mumbled an apology before brushing past the two of the to return to his rooms.

"You're too soft on him," Kunzite observed idly, and he heard Endymion chuckle behind him.

"Perhaps," he said, clapping a hand on Kunzite's shoulder. "Everyone needs it sometimes. He had an argument with Mokusei-hime before he came back this morning. You know him; he'll need time to clear his head."

He groaned in response. "Again? Sometimes I wonder if that harebrained scheme of your father's will truly work."

"It has worked for you and Kinsei-hime," he said, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. "Our relations with Venus have never been so pleasant."

He couldn't help the rare smile that pulled at his lips. "So it would seem."

"Besides, I think you should be more worried about Jadeite. Kasei-hime had a premonition about him, and I think it has unnerved him a bit, though he won't speak with me about it."

Kunzite's smile fell away. He cared for Jadeite like his own brother, but the witch-queen and her premonitions made him nervous. When she looked at him, he was certain she could see straight through him, to his deepest desires and fears. He wondered how Jadeite could stand the intensity of her gaze.

"I'll speak with him about it," he said, before turning to find his young general.

He wasn't hard to find; typically after training Jadeite would stroll through the gardens, conversing with his father through his looking glass. He spotted the familiar blond curls and jogged to meet up with him.

Instead of seeing him chatting amicably with the small glass in his hand, the young general was standing, staring into space with his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"You fought well today," he said, noticing the slight jump in his shoulders when he spoke.

"Thank you," he said, his voice unusually subdued and quiet.

He was never one to beat around the bush, so he chose to ask the obvious question. "What was it that Kasei-hime said that has you so thoughtful?"

Jadeite looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I see Endymion felt chatty this afternoon." His voice held none of the humor that it usually did.

His behavior was truly unusual, and he was concerned about the wellbeing of his brother in arms, but he didn't want to pry. Instead, he came to stand next to him, watching the same distant spot on the horizon.

"What if you knew how to be a great king, how to lead your people and have them love and respect you, but you had to do something terrible to get it?"

Kunzite regarded him with a strange expression. "How terrible?"

Jadeite's brow furrowed as if in deep concentration, but then he shook his head. "Nothing," he said, sighing heavily. "It doesn't even matter. I couldn't do it anyway. She must have been wrong."

Kunzite laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Is she wrong often?"

He let out a chuckle that sounded more like a sigh. "No. She's not."

"Then I suppose you have a rather difficult choice ahead of you."

He shook his head, golden curls falling into his face as he did. "The Far East will fall if I can't figure out how to lead them. It's not a choice at all."

He squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Then you will have the support of your brothers when the time comes."

.0..0...0..0.

The sun was stifling hot; it felt like the peak of summer even though it was early morning. Her body was hot against his, bare skin sticking together as she slept underneath the thin gossamer sheet. Idly, he reached up his hand, running it through golden blond hair. She stirred slightly, one arm coming to wrap around his waist just a bit tighter.

Her skin was always cool to the touch, a trait that belonged to her people and her people alone. It helped to keep them cool through the perpetual summer of Venus. He was not so lucky, as his skin was constantly covered with a thin sheen of sweat. He imagined that he must have smelled horrible, but she never commented on it if he did.

It was rare to find mornings like this anymore. The war on Earth was reaching a boiling point, and he knew they were only days away from launching the next battle plan. Kyousei had been constantly called to court with Queen Serenity, as more strange things kept happening on the Moon. She was responsible for training the Princess' guard as well as planning all of the defenses for the Moon Palace. He was sure that she hadn't slept in days before his arrival on Venus, with the stress of her position getting to her.

He was contented to simply lie with her a while, running his fingers through her hair and listening to her steady breaths. It was simple things like this that he missed the most when they were apart. It was the memory of her sparkling blue eyes that followed him onto the battlefield.

As he glanced down again, he was met with those striking eyes, gleaming in amusement.

"What are you thinking about? Such a serious face for so early in the morning."

"I was thinking of how I'll certainly melt if I spend one more moment here with you," he teased.

She wrinkled her nose, a pretty pout forming on her full lips. A cool hand began to move down his chest, sliding down the smooth planes of his abdomen. His breath hitched in his throat, and she flashed him a devious smile.

"Are you sure?" she said, placing a teasing kiss against his shoulder. His only reply was to cup her cheek and pull her face up to his in a searing kiss.

.0.o..0.o.0.

"And how can you be sure that your plan will work?" his father asked, rubbing his temple in frustration.

It was a valid question; his plan was particularly harebrained and risky, and it probably sounded downright insane to the wizened man he knelt before. But he had seen the outcome, read it in the stars just the night before. There was no way he could fail.

He couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips. He was only sixteen and had been appointed as a general to Prince Endymion's guard and was the future Heavenly King of the Americas. All he needed to do was to lead his men into a battle with the savages at the border and he would be affirmed as a true warrior, worthy of the expansive kingdom he would inherit one day.

"I have seen it in the stars, father. My plan will not fail," he said, his confidence unwavering. His confidence was what had won his the respect of many of his people, and what had finally gotten Mokusei-hime to accept him as a suitable enough future spouse. He couldn't help the prideful smile that tugged at his lips, waiting for his father's approval.

"How can you be such a fool?" his father asked simply, his tone harsher than he was used to. "The stars don't know any more than men do."

He snapped his head up in surprise, wondering why his father had reacted in such a way. "It's my gift," he said flatly, confidence wavering somewhat.

His father sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "The council doesn't believe in your gift, Nephrite. They've never seen it work, nor have I."

He stood up, damning his manners. "All of the princes were born with gifts. Endymion can heal, Kunzite can bend energy, and Zoisite can command the wind! Hell, Jadeite is a master of illusion, and he isn't even the legitimate king!"

"Enough, Nephrite!" his father commanded, tone sharp. "This isn't a silly war game that you play at Endymion's palace. There are people's lives at stake! You may have this gift, but you cannot constantly rely on it. You must learn to rely on yourself and your own knowledge of battle first."

He sighed, knowing his father was right. His plan was too risky, especially when he knew there were simpler options that would be just as effective.

"I just wanted to prove myself," he said quietly, his eyes transfixed on the floor.

His father's visage softened and he rose to his feet, clapping his hand on his sons shoulder. "You will have plenty of time to prove yourself, son. There will be battles where your ridiculous plans are the only ones with hope, but now is not the time."

He nodded, disappointed with how dismayed he felt. It was as if all of his confidence fluttered out of him at the utterance of a simple word.

Fool.

"Do not dwell on your negativity, son," his father said, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and leading him from the room. "I know you will lead your men and that you will be successful. You do not need to focus on making a magnificent impression; you will have a long reign as king, with many battles to fight."

His father's words caused him to swell with pride as they exited the room, and he mentally prepared himself to present his new strategy to the council, his confidence returning in leaps and bounds.

.0..0…0..0.

"How could you?" Rakurai was shouting, her silhouetted form shaking with anger from behind her dressing curtain.

He sighed, pulling his uniform straight again. "I am to be your husband, why should I not participate in the hunt?"

His words seemed to only incite her further, and she stormed out into her chamber, scantily clad in a mix of her formal gown and her riding attire, her hair sticking out in all directions. To him, she looked hilarious, and he had to work very hard to stifle his laughter.

"Because the hunt is for Jovian's! The last time I checked, you were from Earth, weren't you?" Her hands were shaking with rage, and he was struck by the sudden urge to kiss her. Not being one to deny himself his urges, he reached for her, pulling her into a kiss that was not expected but not unwelcome.

Her hands automatically came to twine in his hair, her body pressing as close to him as she possibly could. Mentally, he smirked at his victory; she could always be easily calmed with physical affection, something that he found both endearing and amusing.

He pulled away, giving her a chance to breathe, and pecked her lightly on the nose.

"But you love me," he insisted, their argument not forgotten as he brought his hand up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

She frowned, making a move to pull away from him, but his strong arms held her close. "You are not allowed," she said simply. "It is not up to me to decide."

Now he let himself smile fully. "I know, my dear, that is why I asked your father for permission to participate."

Her anger was back in full force now, and she planted her hands on his chest in an effort to push away again. He tightened his hold, but when he heard the telltale crackle of electricity from her fingertips, her immediately released her.

He pouted in mock hurt. "Dearest, I can't believe you would be so opposed to this. I thought you loved competition?"

That caused her to smile, although she tried to hide it as she slipped past her dressing curtain once more.

"Oh, Nephrite, I'm only dreading having to raise your spirits after you lose."

He grinned.

.0..0…0..0.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Zoisite grumbled from somewhere behind him, breaking the casual din of clip-clopping horse hooves that had prevailed for the last hour or so.

"Oh don't tell me you've gone all animal rights on us all the sudden, Zoi," he teased, noting with satisfaction the slight smile that tugged at Kunzite's mouth.

"Or perhaps the very act of hunting is beneath him and his highly intellectual mind," Endymion chimed in, barely disguised amusement in his voice as Kunzite barked out a short laugh.

He could feel the annoyed roll of the eyes that Zoisite had given them. "You know, Jadeite, sometimes I think you're my only friend."

"What a terrible misfortune I've encountered then," Jadeite murmured dryly, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Oh, could the two of you be any less fun?" Endymion complained, turning his horse around to look at his generals. "We're brothers in arms, aren't we? This sort of manly bonding activity should be second nature by now."

"Besides, Nephrite does nothing but hunt when he goes to Jupiter; I'm eager to see his so-called spectacular talents," Kunzite said, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes, because getting your nose broken by Mokusei-hime truly is the mark of a great huntsman," Jadeite teased, the humor coming back in his voice.

He rolled his eyes. "At least I'm not too entranced by the witch-queen to focus on my duties."

Jadeite glared at him, and he momentarily regretted the low blow to his fellow general. Somehow, he couldn't help himself when it came to Jadeite's relationship with that woman. There was something so decidedly off about that girl, about all of the people of Mars, and he couldn't trust them. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Jadeite trusted her completely, as did Endymion, and they were both typically good judges of character.

"Don't call her that," Endymion said, his tone terse.

He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. She creeps me out."

"Yet the woman who loves you and still has no qualms about pummeling the shit out of you doesn't?" Zoisite asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Jadeite laughed at that and the tension dissipated.

It wasn't the first time he had offended any of the generals. In fact, he was pretty sure that her regularly insulted all of their beloved women. Mercury was dry as a cracker in conversation and was social inept, in striking contrast to Zoisite's gift of easy conversation. Venus, well, all of their women, would be considered whores if they lived on Earth, with their scandalous clothing and their tendency to use sex like a normal man would use a handshake. The Moon Princess, though easily the most beautiful, was unrefined and overly childish, nowhere near the leader that she needed to be.

And then there was Mars, who was, quite frankly, terrifying. He had only met her a handful of times, but there was something in her dark eyes that made him feel as though he were standing naked in front of her. She was rather mysterious and quiet, not prone to smiles or laughter. Endymion had hinted once that she had become the Oracle, the spiritual leader of the Martian people, and if that was true, she'd had a great deal of responsibility and hardship thrust upon her at a young age. She seemed as though she knew too much for her years and that made her seem like a callous, cold individual.

Perhaps he was wrong. Jadeite adored her, though he would never admit it to them aloud, and Endymion seemed to regard her with a sort of brotherly affection. Even Kunzite seemed to think fondly of her, though he suspected that was because of Venus's influence.

A grumble from Zoisite pulled him out of his thoughts. "How long are we going to traipse through the woods anyway?" A rush of wind blew past him, indicating that he was bored.

"We've been out here for so long. We'll look like fools if we don't come back with anything," Jadeite observed and Kunzite chuckled again.

"There's some squirrels over there, Zoisite. Perhaps you could get your horse to trample one and take it back as your prize?" he teased.

An unfortunate rush of wind blew past him, nearly knocking him off of his stallion. "Oh, I'm sorry, did your stars not see that coming?"

"Stop," Endymion said sharply, sounding more irritated than he had in a while. Nephrite found it hard to believe that he was frustrated simply with the outcome of their failed hunt.

"Do you hear that?" Kunzite murmured, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Sure enough, as they quieted, he could make out the distant sound of voices.

"Jadeite," Endymion whispered, but the young prince was way ahead of him, dismounting his horse and heading in the direction of the voices. He felt the familiar fall of magic around him, indicating that he had used his gift to hide them from sight. As he left, Nephrite saw his clothing blur and change, melding into commoner's clothes in case he was to be caught.

They were eerily silent in the moments that followed. He saw Kunzite's worried expression and the strong tension in Endymion's jaw. He didn't know these lands well; they were in Endymion's kingdom, and if he were suspicious then they all had reason to be.

Jadeite finally reemerged, the borrowed face melting back into his own worried features. "We should leave," he said quietly, and Endymion moved to steer his horse to lead them away

They rode slowly so as not to attract any attention to themselves. No one spoke again until after the voices faded away into the forest.

"Who was it?" Endymion asked finally, his voice tense. "This is not a part of my lands that are commonly traveled. Leastwise not by favorable sorts."

"It was the Lady Beryl and some men that I did not recognize," he said, and Nephrite gasped in surprise. "They wore no insignia, but their horses were outfitted in military style."

"I thought you trusted her, Endymion," Zoisite said, sounding worried. His words hung in the air for several long moments before their Prince responded.

"I did."

.0.o..0.o.0.

"Now, her favorite novels all come from the distant past, and most of them are written in the old language, not Mercurian. You'll need to brush up on your skills for reading them, I'm sure, but we've compiled a list for you so you can get started. Reading is one of her favorite hobbies, and that is sure to be your best effort at striking up a conversation with her. She does not like poetry; especially love poetry, so…Zoisite? Zoisite! Are you even listening to me?"

He was, in fact, not listening. They had been at this for hours, days even, and he hated himself for even suggesting it. Sure, he had wanted to get to know his future wife a bit before actually meeting her, but this was beyond ridiculous.

"I am trying to, Minda," he said, giving her a genuine smile, "but your spies were so efficient that I don't even know where to start."

His tutor gave him an affectionate smile. "I suppose he was a bit too thorough, but I know how you always like to be prepared."

He rubbed at his temple tiredly. Hermes had been reluctant to sign his only daughter away in marriage to a lowly future king of Earth, and that fact alone made him nervous to meet her. Even Zeus had been comfortable with the idea of marrying off one of his daughters, although he had four of them to choose from. It was all a part of King Aethlius' brilliant plan, to finally unite all the planets through royal marriage and bring peace to the Solar System.

He had to admit, on paper the plan seemed perfect, but he didn't like that the planet's relations with Mercury became his responsibility when he was at such a young age.

"Do you think this will actually work?" he asked, not fully expecting her to respond.

Minda eyed him thoughtfully. "I don't know for sure. Although, I do find it peculiar that in our time there were four princes of Earth and four princesses of our supposedly allied planets, just when things are starting to get tough. Perhaps it is fate that this should happen."

He scoffed. "You're starting to sound like a Martian with your ramblings of fate and prophecy."

She grinned at him. "Speaking of which, have you heard what they say about their princess?"

"I do think you are supposed to be tutoring me on things other than gossip?"

She smacked him playfully on the arm, an act that would land most women in the dungeons, but was a common practice of the greying woman's. "Perhaps, but you'll meet her soon and you should be prepared. They say she is some kind of witch-queen, and that she brings misfortune to many people."

He scoffed again, staring at her in disbelief. "Come now, you don't really believe in all that nonsense? Witches are the things of little children's stories."

"Maybe on Earth, but you know what they say about Mars. It's a savage, backward land."

"I hardly find it backward that they purposely follow their moving sources of food and water. It is a savage place to live, I am sure, but by all accounts they do the best they can," he murmured, slightly annoyed with her sudden obsession of gossip. He had never met the Martian princess, but Endymion spoke highly of her and her people.

If the people in his kingdom held such generalizations and misconceptions of her people, what did the other planets think of Earthlings?

More importantly, what did Mercury think of them?

He sighed, pulling open another book written in the old language. "Perhaps we should return to my studies for now, Minda," he said, voice quiet.

She smiled warmly at him, perfectly understanding his reaction. "That's a great heart that you have, Zoisite. You'll go far with that kindness and objectivity."

He smiled a bit, stifling the dry chuckle that wanted to escape.

"Perhaps you could tell my father such."

.0..0...0..0.

"Excellent job, Thetis," his father called out, applauding his sister's ability with the long sword. Zoisite had to smile with pride as he watched her; she moved just as fluidly as the water that she was learning how to control, just like how he could control the wind.

"She is coming along quite well," he commented. "Better than I did at her age."

His father smiled ruefully. "She's got a warrior's heart, that much is clear. How fortunate am I that I have one child suited for diplomacy and another suited for war?"

He shifted in his seat a little uneasily, not sure if his father was complimenting him or insulting him. He was prone to delivering backhanded compliments that left him feeling a bit unsettled.

Today, he was feeling bold.

"Do you wish our roles were reversed?" he asked, not trusting himself to look at his father's face.

The king was quiet for a few moments, his eyes shifting from his daughter to his son as he thought. "I believe I did, at one time. But you are a fine general of the High King's army and you've singlehandedly repaired our relations with Mercury. I'd say I have plenty to be proud of. For both of you."

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Zoisite!" Thetis called, jogging to where he and his father had been observing her, youthful exuberance clearly evident on her face. She was the spitting image of their father, dark blue hair that was only found in the European kingdom and shimmering blue eyes. He looked more like their mother, and while the other generals had teased him for his effeminate appearance, he appreciated it, taking comfort in the fact that he could look in the mirror and be reminded of her own green eyes, often filled with affection for her two children.

He welcomed the hug she gave him, although she was slightly damp with perspiration for her training. "Zoisite, did you see? I've gotten so much stronger."

"You have," he agreed, noting how she beamed with pride when their father nodded the affirmative.

"Now if only your studies would improve. You're far from the level of your brother," Minda admonished playfully. Thetis at least had the decency to blush, only mildly embarrassed that she was light years away from her brother's intelligence level.

"Oh, I would focus more, Minda, but training is much more entertaining!" she said, smiling brightly.

Minda rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to tell the girl off in front of her father and instead focusing her attention on Zoisite. "Suisei-hime has arrived."

He simply stared at her, surprised. He hadn't known she was coming.

Beside him, his father laughed. "Excellent! We are most pleased to see her."

"I hadn't known she was planning a visit," Zoisite commented as he followed off after Minda and his father.

"You weren't meant to," he said. "It has been a while since she came to visit us here; I thought it would be nice to welcome her back."

It had taken many years, but it seemed like he and his father were finally on the same page.

.0..0...0..0.

He almost regretted his decision as soon as he stepped through the portal, but the familiar smell of lilacs that prevailed throughout the Moon Palace reassured him somehow and gave him strength.

The guard at the portal seemed very surprised to see him there, not that he blamed him. It was after all, late at night, and it was unusual for any of the Shittenou to come to the palace unannounced.

"Lord Zoisite," he stammered, rising from his post immediately. "We were not expecting you."

He nodded curtly. "I apologize for my sudden arrival. I must speak with Suisei-hime immediately and need to arrange a meeting with Queen Serenity in the morning."

The guard nodded, signaling for his comrade down the hall to come and cover his station. "Come with me, My Lord; I will take you to Suisei-hime's quarters at once. Your normal rooms with be prepared and I will send someone for you in the morning for your audience with the Queen."

He murmured his thanks, bidding the soldier his leave when they reached her now familiar rooms. Nervously, he knocked at the door, willing himself to stop shaking. He hadn't been able to since he'd spoken with Endymion.

After a moment, she pushed the door open, hesitantly peering outside, but visibly relaxing when she saw whom it was. "Zoisite? What are you doing here?" She stepped aside, opening the door fully to let him in. Normally, he would have taken the time to appreciate the thin gossamer nightgown that clung to her womanly curves, but these were not normal circumstances.

"I'm the king."

She dropped the goblet of water that she had started to pour for him in surprise. Neither of them seemed to notice or care. He envisioned Thetis cleaning it up with a careless wave of her hand.

_Thetis_.

She didn't know yet. Damn it; he hoped Endymion would tell her in his absence.

"How?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She led him to the small couch in the sitting area of her room, and he was worried when he noticed how badly her hands shook.

"My father's dead," he said, the words coming from his lips numbly. He'd already had to say it a number of times, and he knew he'd have to say it plenty more times.

Her hand rose to her mouth, stifling the shocked gasp that escaped her. He knew she had grown to be rather close to her father in the last few years, mostly due to the King's effort.

"How?" she asked again, and he wondered if she had ever been so stunned into silence before.

The anger in him rose to the surface, causing his own hands to shake. She noticed, immediately cupping them into her smaller ones. He shook his head, trying to clear his head. "He was poisoned."

"What?" she nearly shouted, clearly shocked. "Who would do that?" All he could do was shake his head. All night, from when he'd found his father until now, he'd needed to keep his composure, and he knew he was near his breaking point. She must have sensed it too, because her arms came around his neck, pulling him close to her, letting him bury his face in her shoulder.

As he expected, the dam broke, and he found himself sobbing openly into her shoulder, her arms rubbing his back as soothingly as she could manage. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this way, but it must have been when his mother had passed away.

"It's not fair," he said, half shouting against her skin. "We were just getting to know each other. He was starting to understand!"

He could feel the wind picking up around him, knowing that he was losing control.

"I don't even really know how to be a damn king. They spent so much time training us to protect Endymion that I have no idea how to lead my own people. What am I supposed to do?"

She didn't say anything, just kept her arms wrapped tightly around him, letting him get his emotions out. She would never know how grateful he was for her support, silent and strong. How had they always managed to compliment one another so well? Such a thing was truly amazing for an arranged couple.

He heard a vase fall and shatter, and he knew it was because he wasn't controlling himself, not in the way that he should. It was a wake-up call, calling him back from the depths of despair to his reality.

After a few moments, he calmed, yet she still held him, rubbing his back in small circles.

After a moment, she spoke again. "You're wrong about one thing," she said, her voice very quiet and controlled. Silently, he thanked her for her ability to put her emotions aside for his sake. "You know how to lead your people; they love you and respect you."

He sighed, pulling his head up from her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Without a word, she stood, pulling on his hand and guiding him to her bed.

"Stay here tonight," she said simply. "I don't think I could bear to be without you tonight."

He did not need to be told twice.

.0.o..0.o.0.

It was unusual for her to call on him so late at night, yet still he found himself sneaking about his own castle, wearing the face of a man that wasn't him in an effort to get to the portal.

She was well aware of how his father had stepped up security in the castle as of late, having become convinced that she was sending Martian spies over in the night to track his ever move. The king's increasing paranoia had become far more than just an obnoxious hindrance.

But he supposed all usurpers felt that their misdeeds would come back to haunt them in the end.

She had been forbidden from the castle, or else he knew she would have come to see him directly, for she was far more apt at sneaking around than he was. The graveness in her voice unnerved him; he knew he would not like to hear what she had to say.

Damn that fire. All she ever saw in it was fear and pain, and he knew it was taking its toll on her. There was a reason why the Oracle was always elderly and wise, someone who had experienced life to its fullest and was able to hold on to cherished memories when things became too bleak. It wasn't supposed to fall into the hands of a girl, much less one who already had far too many responsibilities.

He feared it would drive her mad one day.

With little effort and questioning, he snuck into the portal room, slightly annoyed by the guards' lack of attention. He was fairly certain the one actually guarding the portal was asleep with his eyes open. That did not bode well for the security of his people.

Murmuring the spell in the old language, he stepped through the portal, and, as always, was immediately assaulted by the wave of heat that washed over him when he did, dropping his illusion. Mars was a cold place, kept warm only by the fires that its people were so adept at handling.

He saw her as he felt the first beads of perspiration gathering on his brow, wrapped in a thick, dark cloak to protect her from the cold. Her eyes were burning with something that he couldn't identify, and she immediately grabbed his hand and led him away from the portal.

As soon as they stepped from the tent, he felt the biting cold, grabbing the cloak he had brought with him and throwing it over his shoulders. She still had hold of his hand, pulling him along in the direction of her tent, and he started to worry.

She was always unwaveringly polite, a trait possessed by her people, and she always greeted him in some way, even after all of their years together. The absence of it rattled him.

Once they were inside her room, the fire within it roaring to life at the wave of her hand, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"Himochi, what is going on?" he asked quietly, mindful of his surroundings. He pushed her hood back, fully taking in her face, the worried expression in her eyes and the dark bags that hung under them.

Wordlessly, she moved to sit on her bed, pulling off her cloak as she did. He followed her, still uncertain and incredibly mindful of the shaking in his hands.

She looked up at him, desperately trying to figure out what she needed to say. He covered her much smaller hand with his in reassurance. Her eyes shifted back to the flames.

"I saw you," she said flatly, "in the fire."

His mouth dropped open in surprise. "That doesn't make any sense. The fire is only supposed to show you things about your own planet. That's all it has ever done before."

She shook her head. "It shows things that will impact the fate of Mars." Her voice was unusually quiet.

"So, I suppose since you are bound to me it would make sense." She nodded, biting her lip in a show of insecurity that he hadn't seen since she was just a child.

"I know what you need to do to lead your people. To make them love you, respect you."

His heart leapt in his chest. Why hadn't she just said as much? He had been struggling to find a way to reach them. He had been just an infant when his father conquered the Far East, and he was raised by tutors that taught him to honor and respect all of his peoples' traditions. He thought he had done everything right, but they still did not view him as a strong leader; that much had become evident to him in the last few years, as his armies grew more and more defiant of him.

"There are spies in your father's lands," she continued, "but they are not mine. There is a rebellion mounting with great support, and they have only one objective."

Cold dread grasped at him as she took a shaking breath.

"If you help them, if you take care of this goal, you will earn their respect."

She paused again, and his impatience got to him. "What is it then? What is it that I must do?"

Her eyes were filled with sadness when she looked up at him again. "You must remove the one who oppresses them, who enslaves them, who does not know their culture." She paused for a moment, looking away. Her voice was much quieter when she spoke again. "You must kill him."

He dimly realized that he was shaking his head. "You're suggesting treason against your king," he said, acutely aware of how unsteady his voice sounded.

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at him. "He is not my king." She sighed, reaching for his hand again, but he quickly yanked it away. "It is not just the fate of your kingdom that hangs in the balance, Jadeite," she murmured quietly. "I know this is not easy for you to hear, nor understand. I would not speak of it to you had I not found it absolutely necessary."

He stood then, pacing nervously around her room. "I will not murder my own father, Kasei-hime," he half shouted, noting with satisfaction the way her face crumpled at the sudden use of her title. "For you to suggest such is grounds for treason against the Far Eastern realm. You are no longer welcome there."

She leapt up then, grabbing onto his shoulder to forcefully stop his movement. The only indication of her anger was the dangerous spark burning in her eyes and the overly warm sensation under her hand. "Jadeite, _please_," she murmured, and he noticed the fatigue and sorrow that her features held.

In that moment, she looked far older than her nineteen years, like she had seen too much, known too much. He could see how badly his words had hurt her, but he couldn't bring himself to care. She _was_ the witch-queen everyone had described her as, trying to trick him into killing his own father so that she could take over his lands once they wed. Without a word, he pulled her hand away from his shoulder, grimacing at the smoldering spot that was left behind, turned on his heel and left.

She did not follow.

.0..0...0..0.

"You look like shit," Nephrite commented as he walked into the room. Jadeite resisted the urge to roll his eyes at him. He'd recently killed his own father and become the adored king of his people. Not to mention that he still needed to make up with Himochi and attempt to get her to forgive his sorry ass for treating her like that in the first place.

"Shut up, Neph," Kunzite said flatly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We have more important things to worry about."

It was true. There had been a number of strange things happening in Endymion's lands. Disappearances, robberies, and crop famine were becoming the norm around his borders, particularly those he shared with Zoisite.

"I've had seventeen reported disappearances in our lands just in this month," Zoisite commented, sounding wary. Like Jadeite, he had recently found himself as the king of his realm, and, like Jadeite, he often looked like shit. "I think whoever is responsible for this had a hand in my father's death."

"You're being paranoid," Nephrite commented.

"Nephrite!" Kunzite shouted, uncharacteristically showing his anger. "Just because all of this is an ocean away from you does not mean that you're immune!"

After a silent moment, Jadeite spoke. "How many of your people have disappeared?" he asked quietly.

Kunzite sighed heavily. "Five. A family in the borderlands has vanished, with no signs of where they went, no reason to explain why they've left." He ran his hand through his hair, a telltale sign of frustration. "The neighbors who reported them missing said that there was still bread in the oven, dishes on the table. It doesn't make any sense."

"I thought this was supposed to be the golden era of peace," Nephrite muttered dryly, earning him a glare from the rest of them. Silence prevailed in the room then, and Jadeite found himself staring off at one of the elaborate tapestries on the wall, only taking his eyes away from it when Endymion strode into the room.

He didn't expect the Senshi to be following behind them, dressed in their civilian clothes. It took him a moment to meet Himochi's gaze, but when he did, it was calm and reassuring, matching the gentle smile that pulled at her lips.

He would have to speak with her later, to apologize for being a damned idiot, and then finally get out all of the emotions he had been feeling since his father's death just a few weeks ago. He knew he didn't deserve her, but he was constantly grateful for her. What if he had been betrothed to Venus or Mercury? Or worse, Jupiter? It had to have been fate, for all of them were too well suited for their princesses for it to have been left to chance.

"Queen Serenity has asked us to investigate the disappearances, but to use extreme caution. Strange things have been happening on the Moon as well, and she's become worried." Endymion's voice was calculated and controlled, hiding any and all emotions that he may have had about the matter at hand. "I'll need you to work with your Senshi counterparts as we have numerous locations to investigate." His eyes narrowed as the focused on Nephrite. "Please remember that this is an important matter and not a holiday."

Nephrite rolled his eyes and Venus stifled her laughter behind her hand. He could feel Himochi's eyes on him; he really should have tried speaking with her sooner, but his damn pride had gotten in the way once again. Inwardly, he sighed. This was bound to be a daunting task for the two of them until they worked out what had happened.

"You each have a small number of troops waiting for you in the barracks. Report back to me with anything you find." He chanced a glance up to his King's face, noticing how stern his blue eyes were, how the worry lines had started forming on his face. "Dismissed."

He stood, ready to leave and speak with her when Endymion called his name.

"He'll join you in a bit, Kasei-hime," he said, glancing up at her briefly.

He was rubbing at his temples tiredly, slouching back in his chair. "Are you alright, Endy?" he asked, taking his relaxed posture as a sign that he was welcome to speak freely.

The other man sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, cradling his head in his hands. "I should be asking you that. Himochi told me everything."

Internally, he winced. Of course she did; Endymion respected her probably more than the rest of the Senshi, as he was a firm believer in her visions.

"She was distraught when you left, you know."

He sighed then, sinking back into his chair. "I know," he murmured, feeling ashamed. "You have to know that I was rather shocked."

Endymion chuckled lightly. "Perhaps. I suppose it could be rough to find out you need to murder you own tyrant of a father."

"He was still my father, you know."

Endymion looked up at him then, an apologetic expression on his face. "I know. That was out of line." Silence fell over them for a moment. "How did you do it, anyway?"

"I told him the spies were mine, that I thought he was keeping secrets from me, and he attacked me." He sighed, trying to quell the hurt that he felt. "I was lucky that I had my sword with me; I wasn't expecting that. I hadn't even intended to kill him, I just wanted to talk him into stepping down."

Endymion's eyes were sympathetic when he looked at him again. "I am sorry, Jadeite," he murmured.

He simply shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. It wouldn't do for them to keep talking about this, for him to lose his control and break, not in front of his king. He barely thought he could in front of Himochi.

Suddenly, Endymion's face broke into a wide grin. "I know you're out there," he called, his eyes on the door. "You might as well just come in."

He turned his eyes to the door, looking up just in time to see Himochi's head poke through the door, looking absolutely scandalized.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

Endymion rose from his seat, pulling the door open farther and pushing her into the room. "Take care of him," he whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, as he departed.

"Jadeite," she whispered, walking toward him slowly, an interesting mixture of hurt and anger in her eyes.

As soon as she was close enough, he grabbed her arm, pulling her into his lap and holding her indecently close, barely contained tears falling into her hair.

.0..0...0..0.

He found Nephrite in his usual place, sitting above the camp on an outcropping on rocks, watching the stars. He approached him, quietly, as he often did, not wanting to disturb the man. These months of war had been long and arduous, and they all were entitled to finding their own comforts.

"You can see Mars tonight," the older general murmured, pointing his hand idly to a small point of red light, millions of miles away.

"You would hate it there," he said, coming to sit behind him. "You can hardly see the stars at all."

Nephrite simply hummed in agreement, taking in the joy of the clear night. "How long do you think this lull will last?"

He shrugged, even though he knew he couldn't see. "Beryl's armies have retreated, for now at least. There's been no sign of them for a while. I haven't even found traces of them when we go out on our scouting missions."

Suddenly, Nephrite sat up, startled. Jadeite tore his eyes off the camp below them and looked up, seeing the same anomaly that his companion had.

"What is that?" he asked. "Is that the aurora or whatever that crazy light thing is?"

Nephrite shook his head. "We're not far enough north."

He watched the dim lavender glow that had formed in the sky, blanching when he realized what it was centered around. "Is that Mars?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Yes," he murmured, rising to his feet. "Something's not right."

Suddenly, a bright light flashed, blinding in the darkness of the night. Beneath him, he could hear the shouts of their men, confused and bewildered at the strangeness of the evening. When it faded, the small, tiny dot that was Mars was much larger, burning bright as the sun against the dark night sky.

Panic gripped at him then. "Nephrite…?" he called, but the other general could only shake his head.

Just as quickly as it came, the light vanished, leaving behind an empty black space where the planet used to be.

He couldn't take his eyes away from the spot, scarcely breathing. "Nephrite," he murmured, numbly.

"Oh, Gods," was his only reply.

In an instant, Jadeite was running back to the camp, ignoring the panicked look of the men that he passed, forcibly shoving a few of them out of the way to his tent. Desperately, he found the looking glass she had given him, murmuring the spell that would connect them and have her laugh at him and tell him she was fine.

Nothing.

He willed himself to relax, hoping he had only spoken the spell wrong, not letting himself consider the alternative.

Still, nothing. Again and again, he got nothing.

Nephrite caught up with him then, speaking to someone though his own glass before handing it to him.

"Jadeite, what the hell is going on?" Kunzite commanded, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I can't reach her," he murmured. "Kunzite, what was that?"

The eldest king snarled, cursing under his breath. "I think we know where Beryl went."

"I don't know where she is."

Kunzite's face softened a bit. "Jadeite…"

"They aren't on the Moon, are they?"

Behind him, he felt Nephrite's hand on his shoulder. "Serenity sent them home yesterday."

He choked out a sob.

Nephrite reached for the glass in his hands, pulling it away from him and speaking with Kunzite hurriedly, but he didn't hear them. A woman's voice broke through the havoc in his mind, and he turned his attention back to his glass, not daring to hope.

Princess Serenity's face formed in place of his reflection, and he couldn't help the helplessness that pull at him.

"Jadeite, listen to me, please!" She was calling, and finally he managed to focus on her face.

"Serenity," he whispered, not caring that he had forgotten her title.

"Jadeite, she's alive. She's here."

He could scarcely believe it.

"Captain Yuichirou got her out. Endymion is here, trying to find out what happened. Jadeite, she's alive."

Behind him, he heard Nephrite relaying the news to Kunzite.

"I'm coming," he murmured, getting to his feet immediately, fully intending to get to his horse and ride to the nearest portal.

"Endymion wants you to stay where you are," she said.

"He's a fool if he thinks that I will," he said, brushing past a rather stunned Nephrite as he left.

Serenity smiled.

The ride wasn't long, but it gave he plenty of time to think. What had happened? How had Beryl even managed to get to Mars in the first place, much less destroy it? His thoughts were running a mile a minute, and before he realized it he was stepping through the portal, with Princess Serenity waiting for him.

"You're lucky," she said quietly, taking his arm. "Endymion just left, and he's riding to Kunzite first. He won't even know you've gone."

"I don't care if he does."

She smiled softly at him. "She hasn't said anything. I don't think she's hurt, but from the looks of her I can't imagine that she's not. Yuichirou said she was meditating when the attack happened. Beryl came out of nowhere, and suddenly over half the guards started responding to her commands. Yuichirou said that some of them he thought were dead, that it didn't make any sense. He found her and ran and they got out just in time."

His hands started shaking in rage, but he knew he needed to control himself. For her sake.

They finally reached her room in the infirmary wing, and he pushed it open without any hesitation. Yuichirou, the captain of her guard, was sitting with her, speaking to her in hushed tones. He looked up when Jadeite entered. He rose, bowing as he exited, but the general grabbed his arm, pulling him into an unconventional hug, murmuring a very sincere thank you as he did. The captain only nodded, clapping a hand on his shoulder, his expression profoundly sad.

He hated the sight of her, curled underneath a mound of blankets, still shaking, her skin covered in ash and soot. He clinched his hands into fists as he collected himself before going to her. It wouldn't do her any good to see him so angry and upset; it was bad enough that she would be able to sense it in him anyway.

He sat beside her, brushing her hair away from her face, scarcely able to believe that he was touching her, that she was alive, when she had been so sure she had met her demise just hours before. Recognition flashed in her eyes and the welled with tears.

"You're here," she whispered, voice hoarse from either crying or disuse.

"Of course I am," he murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead. She felt alarmingly cold, and he pulled the blanket tighter around her. "I was so scared."

She reached her hand out from under the blanket, grasping for his. "I felt everything," she whispered, and her heart dropped.

He knew that as the Oracle, she was tied closely to the rest of her people on a spiritual level. When a Martian died, she could sense it; feel their death, just as though it were her own. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like for them all to perish at once.

"Jadeite," she whispered, voice shaking as her control on her emotions broke. In an instant he had crawled into her bed with her, pulling her close as she sobbed against him. Her entire body trembled with hurt, and he hated himself for not being able to do anything to help her.

"I'll kill her," he murmured into her hair. "I promise you; I won't let her get away with this.

She shook her head against his chest. "I don't want to lose you too," she choked out.

He grabbed her face then, pulling her to look at him, using his thumbs to brush the tears from her cheeks.

"You won't. Even if I die in this life, you won't lose me." He kissed her soundly. "In this life or the next, I will always find you."

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.


	12. Silent Night

AN – Whew! I'm back! Sorry this chapter took so long; it was actually mostly finished for about the last two months. I got a new job, then got a second new job, then moved, then my new job turned into a different job, and I got fired from my second new job because they were grumpy about my different new job.

And then Skyward Sword came out, which monopolizes all of my free time that I am supposed to spend doing things for work.

But, I am back on the writing kick! I've actually got new chapters for _Esprit d'Incendi_ that are almost ready to go and I am almost done with the next chapter of _Innocence Lost_, AND I started writing a new Zelda story based on the people in Skyloft because I find them all so interesting!

Anyway, shits about to go down in this story, so I am definitely motivated to write it all out. Get pumped!

As always, thanks for reading! Please, please, please leave a review with any comments/constructive criticism you have. I'm always trying to improve! I really do read and appreciate every review, message, author and favorite story alert! You guys are AWESOME.

Warnings: Same as usual. Dear little Nephrite is particularly fond of the f-word in this chapter, ha. Read at your own risk!

For reference:

Anime Name (Age) – Silver Millennium Name (Meaning) – Silver Millennium Title  
>Hino Rei (21) – Himochi (Fire caused by War) – Kasei-hime<br>Aino Minako (22) – Kyousei (Lovely Voice) – Kinsei-hime  
>Mizuno Ami (22) – Koori (Ice) – Suisei-hime<br>Kino Makoto (22) – Rakurai (Thunderbolt) – Mokusei-hime

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

**Fighting Gravity**

Chapter 12: Silent Night

_A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes_

.0.o..0.o.0.

"Are you sure you want us to be here?" Ami asked, eyeing the scene in the living room with trepidation. "Maybe it'll be easier if it were just you."

Mamoru shook his head, running a hand tiredly through his hair for the fifth time in as many minutes. "I don't think I can handle all of them on my own. Maybe if we'd done this one at a time it would have been easier."

His eyes drifted out the window once again. The late afternoon sun had long since faded, giving way to a rather beautiful and peaceful night. He watched the lights of the city as they flickered and glowed, envying them because they had no real cares or worries. All they had to do was come on and shine.

He wanted to smack himself in the face. Envying light bulbs? He was loosing it.

"How much longer do you think they'll be out?" Minako said quietly. She'd spent the entire wait chewing on her thumbnail and watching Keitaro constantly. She'd taken a couple of breaks to call Yuichirou and see how Rei was, but even then her eyes hadn't left the man's face.

He could only shrug. "Usako couldn't remember how long all of you were out for. If Artemis and Luna were here we would have a better idea…" He sighed. It was just like those two to completely disappear when they needed them again. He couldn't blame them; they wanted to enjoy their break to the fullest, taking advantage of the ability to change into their human forms that Setsuna had granted them.

His thoughts drifted to the Time Guardian. Why hadn't they heard from her since she revived the Shittenou? Even Michiru had commented on how difficult she had been to reach recently. He worried that something might be happening in the future, but he knew there was no way to be sure.

Goddesses, he hated no knowing things for certain. He always wanted to be sure.

He heard the barely audible _snick_ of a door slipping closed before Makoto reemerged. "She's dead asleep now. I can't believe you're still standing, seeing how much energy that took out of her."

"I have to see this through," he said, a wistful tone in his voice. "She has to take care of Chibiusa, anyway. She needs to rest."

Makoto sighed. "Has anything changed?" She had departed nearly an hour ago, taking responsibility for helping Usagi get to sleep.

He just shook his head. He _was_ exhausted, but he meant what he said. He _had_ to see this through. He needed to make them understand. How in the fucking world was he supposed to make them understand?

Makoto placed her hand on his shoulder, offering quiet reassurance. All it did was bring all of his doubts to the surface.

"What if they don't understand? What if they think this is all crazy and they won't help us?"

For the first time all evening, Minako's eyes shifted to him, fixing him with a stern gaze. "They'll help us. Do you think we _wanted_ to fight when Luna brought back our memories, when she explained to us who we used to be? We fought because deep down, you know that it's true. You know that it was real." She sighed, returning her gaze to Keitaro. "They may not understand," she said, her voice much softer, "but they will help us."

He nodded, wondering how it was that she could be so sure. Then again, he had started fighting before he even understood why. When he got his memories back, he still wanted to fight; he still wanted to help. All he could do was hope that his generals would do the same.

He rested his chin on his hand, suddenly feeling all of the fatigue he had tried to fight off all evening. He wasn't sure we he started to drift asleep but was roused awake by a started gasp from Makoto.

"He moved," she whispered, her hand pointing at Norio almost accusingly.

He refocused his gaze in the dim lighting onto his second oldest general. The man squeezed his eyes tightly shut before relaxing his face again. His fingertips twitched. His eyes opened, the light blue orbs immediately focusing on Makoto, his expression profoundly confused before melting into some semblance of anger.

"What the fuck was that?" he demanded as he attempted to stand. He lost his balance as he did, slumping back down to the couch as he did.

"Norio-kun," she started, attempting to move closer to him.

"What the fuck was in that wine? Fucking drugs or something? Are you trying to kill me?" He reached up and cradling his head as though it hurt.

"I can explain," she said, coming to kneel in front of him. "I need you to listen to me."

"I'm not listening to you," he said, sounding like a petulant child. "You're fucking crazy."

"That's enough, Kaneko-san," Mamoru interrupted, causing the man to look up at his suddenly. Beside him, Zoisite stirred as well.

"Endymion?" he asked, confusion contorting his features once again. "I don't understand." He looked back at Makoto.

"Those were your memories of a past life," Makoto said quietly, reaching out to take one of his hands. Unsurprisingly, he pulled it away.

"Memories?" Yoshikazu's voice added to the conversation. Ami nodded, not moving from her spot against the wall.

Jiro groaned quietly, moving forward suddenly and taking his head in his hands. Mamoru winced. If they'd gotten their memories in the proper order, the last memory his youngest general would have had would be his murder at the hands of Beryl. His was particularly gruesome, as he had been disguised as Endymion and the woman had been overjoyed at the prospect of killing the Earth King himself.

Keitaro moved last, looking first at Minako then at his brother. He leaned forward, saying something to him, and Jiro shook his head. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before locking eyes with Mamoru.

"Were those really memories?"

He could only nod; a sudden lump had formed itself in the back of his throat. 'This is it,' he thought, a mixture of fear and excitement bubbling inside him. He had missed them, so much more than he had realized.

"I've dreamed a lot of those memories," he said, looking back at Minako, who smiled slightly in reassurance.

"So, we lived a life before this one, and we all knew each other," Yoshikazu said, watching Ami intently. Suddenly, a crimson blush stained his cheeks. "Shit. We _really _knew each other."

"Is that the only reason you went out with me?" Norio asked, turning an accusing glare at Makoto. "Fuck, you said I reminded you of someone that you didn't have good memories of. I didn't do anything!"

Makoto sighed, trying to keep what Rei had said about their deaths in mind. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Norio raised an eyebrow. "I died?" The other three raised attentive eyes to Makoto as well. It seemed as though it was the last thing any of them remembered.

She looked back at him, as if asking permission to continue. He nodded.

"When you died, when _all_ of you died, we didn't know. The last thing we all remember is dying, too, but it wasn't an enemy who killed us." She took a deep breath. "It was you."

"It wasn't really you," Minako interjected. "I…we thought it was, for a long time, but we recently learned the truth. Once she killed you, Beryl…" she paused, struggling for words.

Ami took over for her. "She took your bodies and put the souls of some of her own demons in them, sent them to the moon, and they assassinated us." Her tone was stark and clinical.

The room got very quiet for a moment as they sat, taking in the new information. Mamoru exhaled a slow breath, waiting for the questions, waiting for the opportunity to explain why they we're burdened with memories of a past they were better off never knowing about.

"What the fuck is going on?" Norio asked again, using his usual eloquence. "Let's say you're right, and these are our old memories, and we were some badass Kings eons ago with girlfriends from other planets, because that seems completely plausible." He rolled his eyes. "If we're all living happily and fine and the world isn't collapsing and we're not creating alliances that will bind the solar system together forever, why do we need to remember?"

"Because we need your help," Usagi said simply, leaning against the hallway wall, watching them all intently. "Believe me, we all know first hand what a burden it is to remember; we wouldn't wish this on you otherwise."

When she spoke, Jiro finally looked up and took in his surroundings. Mamoru saw the question register on his face, even before he dared to speak it. His mouth opened, brow furrowed in confusion, but he couldn't speak the words.

Keitaro noticed. "Where is Rei?" he asked. "She's Mars, isn't she? Why isn't she here?"

Minako's face crumpled slightly, and both Ami and Makoto looked away.

"Endymion," Jiro spoke for the first time since they'd awoken, his tone slightly pleading.

"She's not here because she can't be," he murmured, wondering how to explain things.

"She was the trauma case that came in the other day, wasn't she?" Yoshikazu asked quietly. "The one that a Senshi brought it."

"What?" Jiro asked, startled, his voice coming out like a hoarse shout.

"She's hurt…badly," Mamoru confirmed, unable to look Jiro in the face any longer. "She should be okay, but it's going to take a long recovery."

"How did it even happen? She used to be the best fighter out of all of you," Keitaro asked, sending a concerned glance to Minako who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"We haven't had to fight in years," Makoto commented quietly.

"It was my fault," Usagi said quietly, idly bringing a hand down to her stomach. She was met by a chorus of 'no's, but she shook her head. "I know you're all trying to protect my feelings but stop it. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been there." She looked directly at Jiro. "She saved me. She pushed me out of the way because I'm pregnant and I shouldn't have been there." Tears welled up in her eyes, and Mamoru reached over, taking her hand. "She's died to protect me before and she almost did again."

No one spoke for a moment, but it was Norio who finally broke the silence.

"So, Mars is half dead and you're pregnant with whatever sovereign comes after you?" he asked. Makoto looked like she was ready to slap him. His eyes turned to Mamoru. "Aren't you supposed to be a healer?"

He flinched. "That's the other thing. The Golden Crystal doesn't work anymore. I can't help anyone."

"How are we supposed to be able to help, anyway?" Yoshikazu asked, glancing at Jiro with a concerned expression. "Whom are we even fighting against?"

Minako shrugged. "We still don't know who are enemy is. They've attacked twice and they seem to be targeting humans, but we really don't know who they are or what they want."

"So a couple little weird skirmishes and you decide you need to interrupt our otherwise peaceful lives with this little bit of information?" Norio asked, his anger far too palpable for anyone's liking.

"There have been other signs," Mamoru defended, but Norio didn't appear to pay him any attention.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Keitaro asked. "Last time I checked I've never been able to bend energy and Jiro has never transformed into someone else."

Mamoru felt a slight weight added into his pocket, seemingly out of nowhere. He reached into it and pulled out the four stones that used to encase their spirits; suddenly he realized what he was supposed to do. He stood up, handing the stones to their respective owners. "The Senshi can't use their powers whenever they want like they used to. They have to transform, and you will to. These stones will help you."

Yoshikazu sighed, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair. "This is a lot to take in, Chiba-san," he said quietly. "I mean, who are we, really? Are they even brothers?" he murmured, gesturing to Keitaro and Jiro while the latter through a panicked look at his brother. "Does what we've done in this life even matter anymore? What about our families?"

"You shouldn't be worried about that at all. The past is just that – the past. It doesn't hold any control over who we are now or what we do," Minako said firmly. She looked at Jiro. "Your families here, your parents and siblings, they're all your real family. This is the life you are living; everything else is just a memory."

"Don't think that anything you've done in this life was a waste," Usagi said quietly

Jiro scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, something he used to do when he was on the verge of tears.

"This is all too much," Norio mumbled, his voice more subdued than it had been all evening. "I want to go home and sleep and pretend none of this ever happened. I'm still sure you drugged me."

"That's okay," Mamoru said, trying to be accommodating. "I know it's a lot to take in. I know it's hard."

Keitaro scoffed.

"We've all had to do it too," Minako said quietly. "Some of us remember more than others; some of us _feel_ more than others. But we've all been through this and you can talk to us about it."

"If only Rei was awake," Makoto murmured absently. "She knows better than anyone."

"Why?" Jiro asked, watching her closely.

Usagi sighed, letting go of Mamoru's hand to cross hers across her chest. Subconsciously, Mamoru held his breath. Rei was a private person, and he knew she wouldn't appreciate Usagi revealing too many details about what had happened, about how she had reacted.

"She remembers everything," he spoke for her. "We all have gaps in our memories, and I'm assuming that you all do too, but she doesn't."

"I know there are gaps in mine," Norio mumbled, and the other three nodded in agreement.

"I want to see her," Jiro said assuredly, looking directly at Mamoru.

He nodded. "Of course. I'm guessing the rest of you probably have more questions, and the girls can help you." He fixed his gaze on Norio. "You don't have to stay. You don't have to talk and ask questions and listen if you don't want to. Just please know that we need you; we know what will happen if we are defeated and we know that we will be without your help."

"When it's all over, if you want, we can take away the memories. It'll be like this never happened," Usagi said, bringing all eyes to her.

Mamoru knew that she couldn't be serious; Crystal Tokyo was coming soon, probably once Chibiusa was born, and Setsuna had said they would need their help in the future soon. But her words did seem to calm Norio quite a bit. Maybe she was banking on the fact that he wouldn't want to forget.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen," he said sincerely, hoping they would understand. "We don't have much time before things will start to escalate, though I wish there was more I could tell you."

Keitaro nodded, then looked to his brother. "Come back here after. I want to speak with Minako privately for a while. Take the car." Jiro only nodded, almost dumbly, before standing and walking toward the door.

Mamoru rose to follow him, but paused in front of Usagi. "Go sleep," he said, and she immediately started to protest. "You need to. I'll be back in a while, okay?" He kissed her softly on the mouth. "I love you," he murmured as quietly as possible, not wanting the others to hear.

As he passed the others he handed each of them his business card, his cell phone number scrawled on the back, feeling stupid and lame as he did so. "Call me if you need anything; I'm serious." They nodded, wordless, and he and Jiro quietly slipped out of the apartment.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Minako quietly led Keitaro back to her bedroom, thanking the goddesses that Rei had yelled at her about needed to clean it up the week before so it looked somewhat respectable.

Norio had offered to walk Makoto home and she had accepted. She was worried about him; he seemed like he was going to have the hardest time accepting things. She really couldn't tell about the rest of them, especially Jiro. They'd been so quiet, so emotionless.

It worried her.

As they left, she heard Ami speaking quietly with Yoshikazu in the living room. She was glad that someone else was still here; she couldn't quite shake the fearful feelings she had about all of this.

He sat in the chair at her desk while she sat on her bed, curling her legs up underneath her and idly toying with her comforter.

"I want to know something," he said, his voice taking on a tone she was unfamiliar with. He wasn't looking at her.

"You can ask me anything," she said sincerely.

He sighed, rubbing a hand along his mouth. "If you didn't remember anything, would you still have asked me to stay for dinner? Would you have kissed me the way that you did?"

Her stomach turned into a ball of lead. "I…," she stammered, unsure how to answer. "That's not really a fair question."

He sighed. "Perhaps not. I feel like you've mislead me, that Rei mislead Jiro, just to get us here tonight, to get us to help."

She couldn't help the half sob that was forced out of her lungs. "I never intended to. I know Rei didn't."

He scoffed, angrily.

"I'm serious!" she defended, starting to feel a little desperate. "You're different now than you were then; I wanted to get to know you first of all. We're not going to force you into helping us if you don't want to. I'm not going to force you to stay with me if you don't want to."

"I'm not sure I do," he said quietly, and his words hit her like a punch to the gut. "I need time to figure things out, and I feel like that won't happen if we keep doing what we're doing."

"That's fine," she mumbled, trying to get herself under control. "We didn't give you those memories back with the intention of making you fall in love with us again. We're all different people." A tear slipped out before she noticed it.

He saw it, sighing and reaching forward to brush it away.

"Please believe me that I never wanted to hurt you," she murmured.

"I believe you," he said quietly, coming to sit beside her on her bed. "I'm sorry; it's just a lot to take in." He slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a bit closer.

She sighed in relief, grateful that he wasn't completely pulling away.

"So," he said, turning her to face him, the barest hint of a smile on his face. "Tell me more about yourself."

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

_His thumb wiped at her cheek, brushing away the invisible tears that he knew she wouldn't let fall. At least not in front of him. He hadn't expected this conversation to go well, but he hadn't expected her to be so stoic._

_He couldn't remember the last time she had hidden herself away from him._

_Then again, telling your girlfriend that you love her like a sibling and you think you should stop seeing each other can't be easy for her to hear._

"_I knew you would be bringing this up soon," she murmured quietly. "I'd thought that too, but…" She trailed off, chewing on the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit of hers._

"_I want you to be happy," he said quietly, tipping her chin up to make her look at him, "and I don't want to be in your way."_

"_So, we're done?" she asked, and he could only nod. She laughed dryly. "Ojii-san will be so sad," she murmured._

_He laughed too, throwing his arm around her and hugging her close. "This doesn't change anything," he said, not caring if he was squeezing her too tightly. "You're still the most important person in the world to me, Rei."_

_She smacked at his chest, half-heartedly attempted to pull away from him. "Stop being a sap."_

"_I'm serious," he said. "I don't know what I would do without you." He reached down and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. A strange mix of emotions was brewing in her eyes, and it unsettled him somewhat. He knew she wasn't as okay with this as she tried to act, and it upset him to know that he was hurting her. Wordlessly, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, the last they would share._

_When they parted her head came to rest in the comfortable space in the crook of his neck, and he pretended that he didn't feel the wetness there._

"_You'll always have my heart, Rei."_

.o.o.o.

He awoke from his nap with a groan, wisps of a memory fleeing from his mind as he returned to consciousness. His eyes focused in the dim lighting of the room around him, and he leaned forward in his chair, a bit too quickly for his aching body that had been curled into such an awkward position.

He sighed, his eyes watching her face intently, again, waiting for the barest flicker of motion to cross her features. He hated this; she was never the broken damsel in distress. She'd probably be irritated with him for sitting around the hospital for so long, wasting his time when he should be working on the shrine. But then again, she hated hospitals, and would probably be pissed at him for leaving her there by herself.

A small smile graced his lips. He could never win with her, and strangely enough, that was one of the things he loved most about her.

His hand reached for hers, warm fingers intertwining with much cooler ones, before settling himself back down into his chair, perfectly contented to wait.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

The walk back to her apartment had been long and full of a stifling silence that made her stomach curl. She almost wished that he would get angry again, if at least that meant he would say something. She'd wanted to start a conversation several times, but the words always died in her throat before she could breathe them out. She wracked her brain, trying to think of how she had coped when she had gotten her memories back.

It had been so hard; she was sure that she wouldn't have gotten through it without the help of her fellow Senshi. Without her sisters.

She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that they were standing in front of her building, the dimly lit sign for her bakery shining two blocks down. A sudden fear gripped at her then, as she wondered if he would just leave. What if this was the last time she saw him?

How do you say goodbye to your soul mate on an empty street at four in the morning?

"Ah, fuck it," he murmured, grabbing one of her hands roughly. He must have noticed the fear in her eyes, maybe misinterpreted it as fear directed at him, because he dropped the hand immediately.

"Norio-kun," she whispered, hand reaching back for his.

"I want you to stay with me tonight," he said bluntly, his admission startling her.

"You…"she murmured, confusion clouding her features. "You what?"

He sighed, his eyes drifting to his shoes. "I've had nightmares," he murmured, clearly embarrassed. "Every since I was a kid, when there was some big change in my life I would have nightmares. When my parents got divorced, when my cat died, when I got a bad grade, anything that my stupid brain decided was overly dramatic would give me nightmares."

"Well, this evening certainly has been dramatic," she murmured almost absently.

"And I know, I know with every fiber of my being that you'll keep them away."

She blushed then, and his gaze fell on her, intense and unwavering. He shook his head.

"When I was younger, a goddess used to come and chase the demons in my dreams away. She wore green and gold, but I never saw her face and never remembered anything distinctive about it." He scratched at the growing stubble on his chin. "God, this sounds so stupid."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, no it doesn't. I mean, Keitaro-kun dreamed his whole life with Mina-chan. We're all connected, in this life and the next." He eyes looked away from him. "Whether you can accept this or not, we'll always be connected."

"Soul mates," he mused absently, reaching down to take her hand, leading her in the direction of his apartment. "Funny, Makoto-san," he whispered, smiling slightly when she made not attempt to refuse him. "I never pegged you as such a romantic."

She laughed then, a real, genuine laugh. "You have a lot to learn!"

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Happy December!


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